Wolfgang Falls In Love
by YoursXo
Summary: Remember Gloria? The girl who looks like Helga, but is nice like Lila? Well, she likes Wolfgang. His biggest nightmare's come true. A girl actually likes him. Why is this so bad? Because every girl in the world is the same. But will Gloria get the chance to prove him wrong?
1. Ch 1: Gloria

_**A/n: Anyone remember Gloria? The girl who looked like Helga but was as nice as Lila? Well this is a fanfic about her. Gloria likes Wolfgang and Wolfgang falls in love with Gloria. How will all of this turn out? Read to see.(:**_

_**P.S. Reviews make me happy one happy writer. :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! **_

Wolfgang wasn't sure about much. But one thing he was completely one hundred percent sure about was that he'd never fall in love. He's known from a very young age that women were crazy. Or at least all the ones he's ever known.

See, his mother left when he was three years old one night. She packed up her things and just left. When his dad woke him up that morning, he told Wolfgang that he'd never see his mom again. He told Wolfgang that she was a quitter, that she gave up on everything that she had tried to keep together. He told Wolfgang that all girls were the same. That they didn't know what they wanted until it was too late and that they'd never fight for what they wanted so desperately but they'd just let it walk away.

Wolfgang accepted these facts as the rules of love. It was always the girls fault if things messed up along the way. Wolfgang didn't care much about girls. In fact, he hated them. Every single one of them. They were all the same to him. They hurt guys for their own gain. It was this never ending attack on guys that never seemed to stop.

That is indeed what he thought. Before he turned eighteen. Because that's when he fell in love. He fell hard. One thing that hurts the most about falling in love is when you hit the ground with a single smash.

. . .

It was a regular day at P.S. 118 High. Normal chaos roamed the halls. Gossip and whispers of the same classmates passed through the stairwells.

Wolfgang, Edmund, and Mickey were planning their usual pranks for the upper level teachers when the two caught sight of Gloria walking to her locker.

"Come on you two idiots! We have to start before the teachers get in the classroom!" Wolfgang yelled impatiently as they drooled over Gloria and all of her perfections.

"But, Gloria's so hot. Can we get like an hour break to just stare at her?" Edmund sighed as he leaned against a locker. Wolfgang smacked him upside the head.

"She's just like any other girl in the world!" Wolfgang replied rather loudly.

"Wrong, Gloria's sweet, caring, beautiful, and perfect in every way." Mickey told him with a long sigh. Wolfgang turned his head to get a good look at the girl. She wasn't anything entirely special. Gloria was wearing a pink dress, her blond hair was brushed down perfectly, and a simple red pin was used to keep her bangs out of her face. Which even Wolfgang had to admit she was pretty.

"So what? She's nothing special." Wolfgang huffed while crossing his arms. Just then Gloria shut her locker, glanced over at Wolfgang and smiled widely. Both Edmund and Mickey turned to Wolfgang, fascinated.

"Dude, she just smiled at you!" Edmund elbowed him in the stomach. Wolfgang simply rolled his eyes. His friends were acting as if she was the greatest girl in the world and he honestly just didn't see it. By the time Wolfgang blinked back into reality, he realized she was standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Wolfgang is it? I believe we've never formally met. My name is Gloria and I'm a junior." the girl held her hand out and grinned widely, initially brightening up the room. As suspected her teeth were straight and perfectly white. Wolfgang was shocked she was even talking to him. Why would she be wasting her time introducing herself to him? What was she trying to do anyway?

"Oh, um hi." Wolfgang muttered while staring at her hand oddly until she pulled it back down to her side. She smiled again.

"So do you think we're going to have a test tomorrow in Calculus?" she asked nicely. Wolfgang just rose an eyebrow.

"How'd you know I was in Calculus?" he questioned her, wondering what else she knew about him.

"I sit behind you during third period, silly." she answered him with a slight giggle. Wolfgang however, was trying to wrap his head around this. He thought he was in the back. But I guess he wouldn't really know since all he ever did in Calculus was sleep.

"Oh, well I'm not sure about the test." Wolfgang then rubbed the back of his head nervously. He hadn't even thought about a test.

"Don't worry. He said we wouldn't have a test until Friday." she replied in a soft voice.

"Wait, if you knew already then why'd you ask me?" Wolfgang rose an eyebrow at the girl suspiciously. Suddenly, her cheeks turned pink.

"Actually I just wanted to talk to you." she told him in a soft whisper.

"Why?" Wolfgang was more than confused. He felt like he had entered some sort of parallel universe. Why on earth would a girl like that want to a guy like Wolfgang? He was nothing but trouble for everyone he came into contact with. So why did she want to talk to him?

"Because you're cute and well um I've gotta go, bye." Gloria then rushed out of sight. Wolfgang stood there and watched her leave.

"Dude, she fucking likes you!" Mickey punched him in the arm proudly.

"You're so lucky!" Edmund said in agreement. Wolfgang watched as Gloria walked away quickly, she turned around to give him once last smile before heading down the stairs. Meanwhile, he realized this was his biggest nightmare come to life. A girl actually liked him.


	2. Ch 2: New friends

_**A/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you all like it so far! It's so fun writing it! :D Anyway, Gloria is going to be portrayed as like a saint in this chapter! But don't worry, she's not all good! Especially if she hangs out with Wolfgang and his gang of cronies. He'll bring out the bad girl inside of her and she'll bring out the good guy in him. *cries from too much happiness* I wish I had a love life like this! My dream! **_

_**P.s. Remember, if I get reviews I WILL update soon. If I don't, I won't.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: sadly, I don't own Hey Arnold. :((**_

Gloria's words played in his head the rest of that day, on repeat. She thought he was _'cute'_. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by that term. Nobody had ever called him cute before. But his friends assured him that it was a good thing.

From that day on, Wolfgang kept his eye on the strangely nice girl. She had guts. Coming up to him and just talking like that. Oh, she had real guts. He respected that. But Wolfgang's respect came at a price.

As he kept watch on her for the next couple days (and by that he was following her around places like Helga always did with Arnold). He found out she read to the blind on Mondays. Then she volunteered at a homeless shelter on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays was her only free day and on Fridays he discovered, she helped out Mrs. Vitello water her flowers. She was one busy, but helpful girl. More than likely he knew she wasnot one to be associated with a guy like him.

"Have a nice day, Mrs. Vitello! I hope those roses I helped plant don't cause you too much trouble!" Gloria grinned as she stepped outside.

"Oh don't you worry, dear! I can handle them fine! See you next week!" Mrs. Vitello called back as the door shut. Gloria looked in front of her to find Wolfgang standing in front of her, sucking on a lollipop.

"What's your game, kid?" he inquired immediately. Gloria gaped at his sudden appearance. How did he even know she was there? I mean sure she noticed him following her everywhere during the past week. But why would he wait on her like this?

"Why, what do you mean?" Gloria rose an eyebrow slightly as she lifted her head to level her eyes with his. Wolfgang pulled his sucker from his mouth and opened his mouth to protest her question.

"I've followed you around all week! Okay, forget I said that. But seriously! All these nice things you do for other people. It's like unreal. Nobody and I repeat nobody is that nice. Especially a girl." after his rant he slid the sucker back into his mouth and stared at the sixteen year old female who was wearing pink. She looked at him long and hard. Why was it so hard for him to believe she wanted to do the right thing? She wanted to help others. What was so wrong about that? He's obviously had a rough past and a hard time trusting other people. Yet, she noticed he came to her. So maybe there was some hope for him.

"You don't know me at all. You have no idea what I'm capable of, Wolfgang. Let me tell you something. I'm nice because I care about what happens to other people. I care about what happens to that guy walking across the street. I care about what happens Mrs. Vitello. I care about what happens all of those poor homeless people I help take care of. I care about what happens to the blind. And I care about what happens to you. Believe it or not, but I want to make an impact on this life before I'm gone. I want to be remembered and missed. Isn't that what everyone else wants too? To be remembered?" Gloria asked while poking his nose with her finger, she then giggled happily and blushed. Wolfgang didn't understand her or trust her. But he did. It was what everybody wanted eventually. At some point or another you want meaning in your life. He guessed she was just giving her life meaning. He could accept that much. But he was still suspicious about her.

"Why do you do that?" Wolfgang frowned at her. She rose an eyebrow.

"Do what?" she wondered at a loss.

"You come up with this great logical explanation for everything and I'm left feeling like a jackass." Wolfgang said while chewing on his sucker. He was obviously unhappy with the circumstances. Gloria shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, it's what I do. Dad says it's my defense mechanism. But I do know one thing. You aren't a jackass." Gloria had a bright smile on her face and she began walking down the street. Wolfgang wouldn't let her get away that easily, so he followed her.

"Oh please, everybody thinks I'm a jackass! That's why I beat on kids! Plus most of them deserve it!" Wolfgang explained before tossing his stick onto the street. Gloria simply giggled and looked up at him with her gorgeous blue eyes.

"Just because you've hurt people in the past doesn't mean you're a bad person, Wolfgang. It just means that you're taking uncontrolled anger out on them. Sometimes when people hurt us, we take that anger out on others for no reason at all. We don't realize this until it's too late. Damage is done and the cycle just continues. Over and over. History has a way of repeating itself in the strangest of ways." Gloria explained to him what her grandmother taught her once many years ago. Wolfgang took her words in. She wasn't completely crazy. The strange girl made a lot of damned sense.

"You mean you aren't afraid of me because I'm a bully?" Wolfgang wondered while looking down at his feet. Gloria glanced down at hers as their footsteps suddenly fell into the same pattern.

"No, I'm not afraid of you. I just think that there's more to you than you let others see. You have the potential to be whatever you want to be, Wolfgang. You're afraid of letting anyone see that side of you. You're afraid of getting hurt or abandoned by your companions. I understand this. But at some point you're going to have to choose. Be who you are, or what everyone else wants you to be." at the end of her advice, she glanced up at him to find him looking up at her. His stomach was tied in knots.

"You've had a lot of time to think about this haven't you?" Wolfgang questioned while putting his hands in his pockets. She giggled happily.

"I have no close friends, so yes. I'll say I've had a lot of time by myself. Well this is my stop. I guess I'll see you on Monday." she said while walking up her stoop. Wolfgang didn't really want to wait that long to see her. So, he made a spur of the moment decision.

"Actually, do you want to hang out with me and my friends tomorrow?" Wolfgang spat out the words before he could stop them. It was pure word vomit. (a/n: lol, from Mean Girls! Sorry I just couldn't describe it as anything else. That's what it was.)

"Sure, that sounds like fun." Gloria blushed as Wolfgang walked up the stoop to stand in front of her.

"Well I'll meet you here tomorrow morning at nine." Wolfgang smirked (he doesn't know how to smile without looking creepy!) then he left without another word. Gloria watched him leave, she was hypnotized by the boy. Apparently he couldn't get enough of her either. What would come of this? Nothing good, that was for sure.

. . .

It was exactly nine o'clock and Wolfgang was sitting on Gloria's steps. He had already been there for two minutes. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. Besides, Gloria probably thought he should be on time. For some odd reason he didn't want to disappoint the girl. Wolfgang turned as he heard the front door open. Yep, he was right. She was the punctual type.

"Good morning, Wolfgang. How are you doing?" Gloria asked as she sat down beside him on the steps. He simply rose an eyebrow at her happiness. He still wasn't used to the concept of friends yet. Well, friends that weren't scared of him anyway.

"Fine." He answered simply before sticking a piece of bubblegum into his mouth, he handed one out to her and she took it.

"Thanks." she smiled before tossing it into her mouth.

"Whatever, we better head down to the ally. That's where the guys'll meet us." Wolfgang nodded his head to the left before standing up. Gloria stood up too and followed him down the street.

"Just out of curiosity. But what do you and your friends do in an ally?" Gloria asked a bit frightened. Wolfgang turned to look at her and noticed her nervousness. He laughed. Did she not hear the rumors at school? Who was this girl anyway? A joke?

"You'll find out. But don't worry, I won't let anybody take advantage of you and your innocence." Wolfgang assured as he placed his arm over her shoulders. Gloria's eyes went wide. She had no idea they had sex in an ally! That was way too dangerous for anybody! Gloria was too terrified to respond, so she just hid under Wolfgang's arm. Her only form of protection from this suddenly scary world. Although he seemed to be laughing, meaning it was a joke. But in any case, she was glad he was around.

The two entered the ally under the bridge beside their elementary school. Immediately two teenage boys Wolfgang's age came into light. Gloria pin pointed them as Wolfgang's two best friends.

"Well if it isn't Wolfgang." Edmund laughed as Wolfgang removed his arm from Gloria's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's me. Gloria this is Ed and Mickey. Guys Gloria's gonna hang out with us for awhile." Wolfgang introduced them to each other. Gloria was silent. She wasn't sure what to say. Meeting Wolfgang's friends meant that she was his friend, right?

"Oh really? Well then isn't it only fair if she does the initiation? She can't be a member of the group and learn our secrets without being initiated first." Mickey pointed out with a smirk targeted at Wolfgang.

"Rules are rules, boss. You can't rewrite them because of some girl." Edmund finally said something smart for once. Wolfgang thought for a moment. He glanced at Gloria, the poor girl looked confused.

"Guess you're right. Look kid, in order to be a member in our magnificent group you gotta be initiated. Sorry but those are our rules. Have been since the fifth grade." Wolfgang apologized for the inconvenience.

"All right, what will I have to do?" Gloria questioned as she ran a finger through her hair. She decided it was better to accept her fate than to object it. After all they were actually trying to accept her. That's more than anybody's ever done before. Both Mickey and Edmund looked at each other and grinned widely.

"You have to drink two flasks of whiskey in less than five minutes, then stand on the elementary school's roof top dance and sing to the Chicken song." Wolfgang told her in a sigh. It was a stupid initiation, yes. But weren't all initiations stupid or humiliating? Then again they created this when they were in the fifth grade. They were cruel kids then too.

"Well it sounds simple enough." Gloria smiled at them, agreeing to their challenged. Wolfgang couldn't believe how surprising she was. It seemed that she was right. Wolfgang didn't know her at all. Even after stalking her for a whole week.

. . .

There they were. Standing on the roof of P.S. 118 elementary. A school they all attended at one point. Gloria glanced down at the street below them. Cars passed by quickly, none really stopping if only for a moment to let pedestrians cross the street. A hand touched Gloria's shoulder, she turned around to find it belonged to Wolfgang.

"This is a really stupid thing to do. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. The guys would understand. Or I could beat them up if they didn't." Wolfgang said before pulling his hand off of her. She simply gave him a warm smile.

"That's nice of you. But I think I can do this. After all what's the point in living a life if you aren't going to try something new every once in awhile?" Gloria told him. Again, he was surprised at how calm she was. Gloria was becoming something special. She had rare qualities inside her that were hard to find in anyone else. She was kind, thoughtful, and helpful. Wolfgang was beginning to wonder why fate had even brought them together in the first place. It wasn't like he believed in that stuff. Fate was a joke to him. He didn't believe that your life was planned out already before you were born. Wolfgang believed that you chose your own life and what you did with it. But now that Gloria was here, he was beginning to second guess a lot of things.

"Okay, iff that's what you want." was all he could think of saying back to her. After which he walked back over to Ed and Mickey who were sitting around an old beat-up boom box. Each boy was holding a beer bottle, Wolfgang picked an unopened one off the ground before taking a seat beside Mickey.

"You have five minutes on the clock! No breaks and only chugging is allowed!" Edmund yelled while Mickey got out a stop watch. Gloria held the two full flasks in her hands as she walked up to the boys. Wolfgang quickly took swigs from his bottle and glanced around the rooftop. It was empty aside from them. Which was probably a good thing. If Old Wartz was there he'd probably call the cops on them.

"Ready, set, **GO!"** Mickey yelled as Ed pressed the start button. Gloria then downed the two flasks in four minutes and twenty-three seconds. Only stopping to choke once or twice. Over all she had done a better job than the boys had when first attempting the act. Wolfgang couldn't believe it. She was such a goody two shoes. So how could she drink so well? Unless, this wasn't her first time. Wolfgang pushed the thought away with another long sip of his beer.

"Okay, I'm ready." Gloria said as she handed the empty flasks to Edmund. Wolfgang seemed unsure of this whole idea. But watched anyway.

"Here's the Chicken song!"Mickey then pushed the play button on the tape recorder. A very loud and obnoxious tune began playing.

_"I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck so I'll shake my butt!" _Gloria yelled/ sang drunkenly while dancing appropriately to the song. It was embarrassing, yes. But she didn't seem to care because it was fun.

_"I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck so I'll shake my butt!"_ Gloria continued as she held her hands closed in a duck's beak formation, then she shook her butt. The guys were laughing their drunk asses off along with her. In a spur of the moment decision, Wolfgang stood up and walked up beside her. Gloria continued to dance and sing, oddly enough Wolfgang joined her in the humiliating experience.

_"I don't wanna be a chicken I don't wanna be a duck so I'll shake my butt!"_ they all sang together then shook their butts at the same time while laughing uncontrollably. That's when Edmund and Mickey got up and joined them as well. The group spent the next two minutes dancing and singing about not wanting to be birds so they shook their butts at nobody.

. . .

After that was over the four evenly drunk teens found their way to Wolfgang's household. Gloria saw only bits and pieces of buildings flash by her eyes as she walked passed them, where as Wolfgang's vision was only blurred slightly. The alcohol was settling in as Gloria found herself dancing gracefully on the sidewalk. She pretended she was on stage performing some sort of ballet routine. Wolfgang and his friends watched her. That's when she stopped, out of embarrassment.

"Oops, sorry." she blushed and apologized for her behavior.

"You aren't half bad, ya know." that was Mickey's compliment as they walked up the steps to Wolfgang's door.

"Yeah, have you like done that before?" Edmund questioned while following Mickey inside. Wolfgang then followed him.

"Danced? Yeah, I took lessons a few years ago." Gloria admitted softly while she shut the door behind her.

"You're good." Wolfgang said as he lead her down a hallway that lead into an open area. The area was what she believed to be the kitchen. It contained a fridge, stove, microwave, cupboards, and a small kitchen table that looked completely unused.

"Oh um thanks." Gloria grinned at his compliment. Mickey and Edmund rolled their eyes in slight disgust. They Wolfgang wasn't accustomed to flirting by any means. But he figured compliments worked just as well. The group then spent the rest of the day playing video games and making fun of one another. Gloria even took it upon herself to fix them a meal. Cheesy potatoes, a honey cooked ham, and pudding for desert.

They ate in the living room. As the rule was in Wolfgang's house, never eat in the kitchen. The kitchen brought back too many unhappy memories of Wolfgang's mother. But aside from that they actually had a diner conversation. Which was incredibly rare. Normally dinner at Wolfgang's house was a silent venue consisting of nothing but the sound of eating utensils hitting plates. But with Gloria around, it seemed only appropriate to share facts about life.

"This is actually really good, Gloria!" Mickey complimented as he shoved a big spoonful of cheesy potatoes into his mouth and chewed loudly.

"Yeah, you're an amazing cook!" Edmund agreed while nodding his head quickly. Wolfgang however chewed slowly. He decided he hadn't had a real home-cooked meal since his mom left (his father was always too busy and Wolfgang usually ate junk food anyway). So he figured this was as good as it was going to get to be anywhere close to his mothers. So, he savored the taste of Gloria's cooking and found himself smiling in her direction. It was so unreal. All of it was. Just being with her was an adventure.

"I'm not that good, really. Compared to my grandmother I'm nothing special." Gloria giggled in her own happiness. Wolfgang swallowed his chewed ham and took a long sip from his beer can.

"Either way, you really are a great cook." Wolfgang admitted while looking at Gloria. She glanced up at him and blushed. Sure she got compliments all the time. But coming from Wolfgang it meant a lot. He wasn't the nicest person in the world and she knew that much. Gloria opened her mouth, in protest. But then she closed it. That's when she realized that they were going to be good friends. No matter what his past self said about it. He was a good person. She knew that. But, she wanted others to see that too. But what she really needed at the moment was a few friends. Oh and being Wolfgang's girlfriend was somewhere on top of that list too. _But she'd have to work on that later._


	3. Ch 3: It's a date

_**A/n: So sorry about the late update everyone! But I had to get my hair cut, my senior pictures taken and I found my homecoming dress! It's sooo cute, it's black, with white polka-dots and one shoulder strap.(: Plus I had to go to counseling too. Soooo, yeah. It's been a pretty busy week. But since I'm excited for homecoming, I'll put that in the story too. Just for all you high schoolers out there!(;**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Hey Arnold. But I'm working on becoming a zillionaire within the next three years to buy ownership. So, um yeah. Just wait I guess.(;**_

_**P.s. Don't forget to review! Remember reviews make this girl a happy writer and a happy writer updates as fast as she possibly can! :D**_

Their weekend flew by. Gloria spent her Sunday morning at church, then she met up with the guys at Wolfgang's. Their Sunday afternoon consisted of the guys graffitiing some railroad-cars. Meanwhile Gloria kept up with them to keep them company. Though she knew right from wrong, she decided it was best to just enjoy what time she had with people her own age. So she kept her mouth shut about her beliefs on vandalism.

Before they knew it, Monday had arrived. Then third period Calculus came and to both Wolfgang and Gloria time ceased to exist in the classroom. Much like in Narnia. While Gloria took notes on the board, Wolfgang was turned all the way around so that he was staring at her very openly.

"Why are you doing that?" Wolfgang asked her with a slight sneer in his voice. As if asking 'what the fuck is wrong with you?' in a nice way. Since becoming friends with Gloria, he's trying this whole being nice concept. So far, it isn't working out too well.

"Doing what?" Gloria asked as she switched lines on her notebook paper.

"Taking notes." Wolfgang specified as he put his elbows down on her desk. Gloria paused then glanced up at him. She could tell he really didn't understand why she bothered taking notes.

"I like to review what I've learned. Study it, then test myself on my knowledge. If I don't I'll forget it completely." Gloria explained while she finished writing down a sentence.

"You're weird." Wolfgang smiled at her. She grinned, looked up and blushed.

"Thanks, I try so hard." Gloria responded while putting her pen away. Wolfgang just laughed at the girl. Any other girl he knew would be upset by his comment. She took it as a compliment. Gloria liked being weird. It was odd. But that somehow increased the girl's confidence. Wolfgang would never understand that. But he didn't really care. That's when the loudspeaker came on for the entire school to hear.

"Attention everyone! Tickets for this year's homecoming dance will go on sale tomorrow before school! Fifteen dollars per couple! Ten for single! Thank you all, have a nice day!" the announcer then cut his voice off. A loud beep sounded around the building. Then everyone glanced at each other.

"Homecoming?" was all Gloria could really comprehend from that announcement. Gloria had always wanted to go to homecoming. But nobody had ever asked her and she didn't have enough friends to go in a group (well she had no friends at all before Wolfgang).

"Yeah, you ever gone to homecoming before? It's really stupid. A bunch of morons dance around together in formal wear for one night and pretend to be somebody they're not. I'd much rather spend my night drinking shots. But that's just me." Wolfgang explained while clicking his pen obnoxiously.

"I've never been to one." Gloria admitted as she zipped her book bag carefully. Wolfgang chocked on air in shock.

_"Really?"_ he asked her with an eyebrow rose. He couldn't believe that no guy has asked her to homecoming. Even the fact that she would be looked like the type of person to go alone made him even more shocked to the fact that she had never been to a homecoming dance before.

"Never in my entire high school career have I ever attended a homecoming dance." Gloria told him as she placed her head on her hand and gave Wolfgang her full attention. Which he enjoyed.

"That's unacceptable. I'm taking you to homecoming. You, me, Ed, and Mickey. We're going to give you a night that you will never forget. Well unless you black out." Wolfgang said through a giant smirk. Gloria couldn't help but blush. Wolfgang was so sweet to her, in the weirdest ways.

"Alright, it's a date." Gloria grinned happily. She couldn't believe she would actually go to homecoming! And with Wolfgang! Her crush/ best friend! It was like a dream come true.

"Sweet, oh and make sure you bring a bucket or two. We're gonna have a major after party later." Wolfgang gave her a wink before turning around to face the front of the room. Gloria let out a big sigh of relief, then she giggled to herself. She couldn't believe how happy she could get in just a minute, but she certainly didn't want that feeling to end. _Ever. _


	4. Ch 4: Wolfgang's daddy

_**A/n: Well I decided I'd write another chapter quickly since I was really excited about writing this! And for those of you who asked, don't worry Gloria will still be a goody little two shoes. But I can't promise the same for Wolfgang. In fact she might end up having to take care of him in his 'state' after the dance. But he'll be good during the dance. (which isn't for another couple chapters). We'll see how this plays out! Anyway there will be some family drama in this chapter. I figure I might as well bring Wolfgang's dad into it some. Let his opinion of Wolfgang hanging around with a girl be known! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold yet. Wait awhile. . . **_

It was Friday afternoon. Wolfgang was watching some football on T.V. It had been a good day. Nothing too horrible happened. Yet nothing exciting had happened either. That's when his father got home.

Wolfgang and his dad weren't one for long conversations. In fact, they barely said five words to each other. Usually they just told each other when they were leaving, or if Wolfgang needed gas money. That was it.

But now, Wolfgang knew he needed to ask his father money for a tuxedo. He hadn't said a word yet and he already had a gut feeling this conversation wouldn't end well. He heard heavy footsteps approach the living room and stop in the doorway as his father watched the game from afar. Wolfgang sank deep down into his chair. Trying not to be noticed for as long as he possibly could. He mentally made a deal with himself. If his father spoke to him first; he'd ask for money to rent his tux. If he said nothing; he wouldn't say a word either.

"What are you doing this weekend?" his father asked in his usual gruff yet tired voice. Wolfgang cursed in his mind.

"The usual probably, with Ed and Mickey." Wolfgang said trying to keep calm and act normal.

"So, I assume you'll be in trouble by Monday?" his father laughed while he sat down in his old black recliner.

"More than likely." Wolfgang nodded his head in agreement. He felt his father's eyes scanning him up and down quite productively. Which was odd unless he thought Wolfgang was up to something.

"I'll be away for the weekend. Won't be back until late Monday." he said to Wolfgang in a serious tone as the game went to a commercial. Wolfgang turned to face his father.

"Again?" Wolfgang asked a question he already knew the answer to. This would be the second weekend his father had been away. Wolfgang doesn't know for sure what his father does while he's away. But he wouldn't rule out the fact that he could be on America's Top Wanted list.

"Yeah, I need to have a little break. Time off. You'll be fine." his dad assured him. Wolfgang however wasn't so sure he'd be fine. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he hated being alone. He hated that his dad left and he didn't know what he was doing or where it was he was actually going. For all he knew his dad could've been going to Las Vegas every other weekend. Which wouldn't surprise Wolfgang at all. Just take a look at his past criminal record. It wasn't too pretty.

"Guess so. Look, there's this homecoming dance this weekend and the guys and I want to go. For the hell of it." Wolfgang told his father nervously.

"Is that right?" his father rose an eyebrow at his son. It was unlike him to want to attend a school dance.

"Uh yeah. But I have a date and I want to rent a tux. I'd only need thirty bucks." Wolfgang swallowed his words quickly. His father just stared at him awhile.

"A date?" his father was now very skeptical. That's the only thing that really stuck to his mind.

"Yeah, with a girl. But Ed and Mickey will come with us. So it's not like a date or anything." Wolfgang said, trying to keep his father as calm as he could.

"You know how I feel about girls. They're no good. You can't change them no matter how hard you try, Wolfgang. All they want to do is destroy you. I thought you understood that." his father's voice grew deeper. As it always did when he talked about his missing wife. It was like whenever he spoke about her, his heart broke all over again.

"I do! But Gloria's different. You just don't understand." Wolfgang decided he'd better give up while he was ahead of the fight. He stood up and took a step to leave when his father's voice sounded.

"_I don't understand? _But here's the thing. I've been there Wolfgang. I was horrible as a kid. Just like you. Then in junior high I met a girl. She was smart, beautiful, funny, and here's the thing I never understood she had an interest in me. She wanted me in her life from the very moment we first met. I've been in your position before, Wolfgang. You don't think I don't know exactly what's going to happen to you? You'll fall in love. Then she'll stomp on your heart and leave! Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't mess with this son." his father lectured, Wolfgang stopped as soon as he heard his dad's voice. Then he turned around to look him in the eye.

"She's not like mom!" Wolfgang yelled back angrily. How could his dad compare Gloria to his mom like that? Sure he was hurt. But he didn't know Gloria worth a damn! His dad froze. He processed his son's words, then looked away in pure disgust.

"I'm done discussing this! If you want to get hurt, then do whatever the hell you want! I won't stop you." with that Wolfgang's dad headed for the door and slammed it shut on the way out. Wolfgang sighed. He was sorry for mentioning his mother like that. But his dad deserved it. He had no right saying Gloria would do that to him. He knew how his father was feeling. Abandoned, hurt, and lonely. He knew his dad was only trying to protect him. But Wolfgang was sure Gloria wouldn't break his heart. She couldn't. Because he wouldn't fall in love with her. Under any circumstances.

. . .

The next morning Wolfgang woke up around ten the morning. He walked down the hallway, paused in front of his dad's doorway to find the room empty. He took a few steps into the room to find the bed hadn't been slept in. Yep, he was gone. Probably for more than a few days. Maybe longer than just Monday now.

"Fuck you too, dad. Have a nice time wherever the hell it is you're getting wasted." Wolfgang flipped the room off before leaving for the kitchen. He glanced around the room, then stopped when he saw a couple of green bills on the small kitchen table facing him. Wolfgang inched closer to them. There were a total of three ten dollar bills. Underneath them was a yellow sticky note.

_**'I can't stop you from making the same mistakes I did. You have to find them out for yourself. But I'm still pissed off. So, don't call me.' **_

Wolfgang was utterly surprised his dad even took the time to write him the note in the first place, let alone gave him thirty dollars to rent a tux. Guess it goes to show his dad really did listen to him. Even when he was mad.

Wolfgang pocketed the cash, grabbed his keys, and left the house without allowing another menacing thought run through his mind. He drove to the only place he knew to. Gloria's house. Wolfgang had never really been tux shopping before and he assumed she didn't have a dress yet either. So he picked her up. She didn't ask any questions. There was no real need. Then they went to the local mall together.


	5. Ch 5: Shopping with Gloria

_**A/n: Boy, you guys will love me for this chapter! Hehe.(: It's too cute for words! Asdfghjkl;. Anyway, when Wolfgang said that the dance was this weekend he meant the weekend after the weekend was over if you didn't get that. It was confusing, I apologize. But yeah. So, they're gonna have a blast together in this chapter. :D I'm on a roll with updating right now, ahhhh! **_

_**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hey Arnold yet. **_

_**P.S. Review and tell me what you think!(: **_

Gloria knew almost immediately that something was bothering Wolfgang. His face was scrunched up like he smelled something bad and he wasn't speaking to her. She sat in the passenger seat and glanced out the window, thinking of something to say. Dead silence filled Wolfgang's old beat up red mustang.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Wolfgang finally spoke up. Gloria was surprised he'd even noticed her silence.

"I don't know. Because you're not, I guess." Gloria shrugged her shoulders. Wolfgang turned his head to her, she smiled at him with big blue eyes. That was the first time he's noticed how beautiful she truly was. Wolfgang gave her a smirk in return.

"We're going shopping together." he told her as he made a left turn.

"Oh, well it sounds fun." Gloria said as she looked out the window. Wolfgang pulled into the parking lot. It was big. There were over forty parking spaces in each row. Wolfgang managed to find a space close to the front entrance. Which would be convenient later. Wolfgang was first to get out, Gloria however was having trouble getting her seatbelt off. It was very jerky. Each time she got it close, it stopped and she'd pull back towards the lock again. That's when Wolfgang opened the door.

"Having trouble?" he laughed while she yanked back and forth. She was trying not to get her arm caught in it. Which she wasn't succeeding at it.

"Just a bit." Gloria admitted while her hand got wrapped around her elbow. Wolfgang shook his head as he bent down closer to help her out. He put his big hand down gently on her arm as he slowly unwrapped the seatbelt from her hand. All the time he was doing this, she was giggling. He didn't understand why. But he liked the sound of it anyway, her laugh. For some reason it made him happy.

"There you go. You're free." Wolfgang said with a smirk as he held out a hand to help her up. She put her hand in his and stepped out of his car.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Gloria smiled as she gave him a small hug around his waist. Wolfgang paused as her arms wrapped around him perfectly, he wasn't used to such displays of affection.

"No problem." he said as he reached his arm out and shut the car door while she continued to hug him warmly.

"Let's go." Gloria pulled away from him and dragged him to the doors by his hand. Which, as much as it would annoy him with anyone else, somehow made Wolfgang smile.

Once they got through the doors there was this big map in the middle of the floor. So, they walked up to it.

"Where should we even start?" Gloria asked in amazement as she glanced up at the giant map, then to Wolfgang who looked just as confused as she did.

"How would I know? I don't shop for shit." Wolfgang told her while scratching his head.

"I guess we could just look through different stores until we find a fancy looking one." Gloria said as she began dragging him off into a different direction. Wolfgang sighed, knowing this would be a long shopping day. Even for just a dumb tux and a stupid dress. But with Gloria it should be interesting either way.

"Whatever." Wolfgang muttered under his breath unhappily while following the girl. As long as it took his mind off of his dad, the day would be fine.

They spent the next two hours browsing through pointless stores. First being a scented candle store _(which aggravated Wolfgang because it smelled like an old nursing home) _but Gloria seemed to enjoy it. She made Wolfgang smell the candles she liked best. Then they left because Wolfgang complained about having a headache. The second store they went to was a Hallmark card store. As corny as over half of the cards were, Wolfgang had a blast reading the lame ones to Gloria. He even got a laugh or two out of her. The third store was a book store. Which normally Wolfgang wouldn't be caught dead in, but Gloria said there were books written by some famous football players. So, Wolfgang took the time to read some of one while Gloria skimmed through a couple of teen romance novels. After that Wolfgang took a quick trip to the bathroom and Gloria ended up buying the book for him to read in secret.

Wolfgang came back after Gloria had checked out. He barely noticed the bag in her hand as they walked passed the book store and entered another store. This one was filled with home items. Big beds, curtains, sinks, toilets, and other household necessities.

"This place is fucking huge." Wolfgang said with his mouth gaping open while they passed king sized beds.

"Yeah, who could even afford a bed this huge? You'd have to have four jobs at a minimum. Or be the president of the United States." Gloria said as they paused in front of the biggest.

"Wanna jump on it?" Wolfgang smirked at her.

"Yes!" Gloria giggled then dropped her bag as the two jumped up on the bed together. They spent the next five minutes burning all the energy they had jumping up and down on a bed and laughing about nothing. Wolfgang had to admit, being with Gloria was a great distraction from his home life. It was inevitable that Wolfgang found the girl adorable. Even if he didn't think so entirely just yet. He was about halfway there.

"That was fun." Gloria admitted as she fell down on the bed and looked at the ceiling. Wolfgang did the same beside her.

"Yeah, it was." Wolfgang nodded his head. She turned her head slightly to look at him. He turned to look at her too.

"Do you think I'm _too _nice of a person?" Gloria questioned suddenly, the thought had been on her mind for awhile.

"You're not perfect. I know that for a fact. Why?" Wolfgang was curious as to what made her think that way. So, she was nice. There wasn't anything wrong with being nice. Right? Gloria turned away from him.

"I don't know. But you, Ed, and Mickey are the only friends I've ever had. I can't help but think that kids our age might be a little bit intimidated by me." Gloria let out a sigh. Sometimes she was tired of being a goody little two shoes. She just wanted people to like her. That's all she wanted, to be accepted by others.

"So what? Society is full of jerks anyway. You don't need 'em if they don't need you." Wolfgang said as he turned away from her and crossed his arms. Gloria smiled to herself. Wolfgang had a way of making her feel better about herself, which is something nobody else could do.

"You really think so?" Gloria asked him as she put her head on her hand. Wolfgang laughed.

"Of course! I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't think you were a good person." he said as he put his head on his hand and faced her. She rose an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't believe you." Gloria stated as she stared at him. He couldn't believe this. She was arguing with him? Who the hell did she think she was?

_"You're fucking crazy." _Wolfgang said, she glanced up at him and smiled widely. He wasn't sure why, but she looked stunning just that second.

"I am?" she questioned with a giggle, as if she didn't already know. Wolfgang found it hard to look away from her. In fact, he noticed that he was moving closer to her. Even Gloria realized this too. Yet, she chose to keep quiet about it.

"Duh." he answered quietly just before their lips met. Gloria wrapped her hands around his neck then she kissed him back. She didn't know what to think of this. But she liked it.

Once they were done they pulled away from each other in complete silence. They couldn't think of one thing to say. Yet, it wasn't at all awkward. In fact they were more comfortable in each other's presence now than they had ever been before. After awhile of just laying there, Gloria sat up and grabbed her shopping bag from the floor. Without another word being said Wolfgang got off the store's bed and followed her out of the home department. They then moved on to the next store and found it was full of dresses and fancy outfits for all sorts of events.


	6. Ch 6: The secret letter

_**A/n: So, some fluff! And more family drama! :0 That is all I have to say today.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! **_

_**P.s.: Review to make me happy?(: **_

Gloria spent the next half an hour helping Wolfgang decide which size was best for him to rent. It didn't take long, actually. They decided a plain black and white suit and black tie would be best for homecoming because it would go with whatever color her dress would end up being. Wolfgang then had to sit outside a dressing room and wait for Gloria to try on all different sorts of dresses.

"What color do you think I should choose?" Gloria said from the inside of the door as she slid out of one dress that was a mustard yellow color. He didn't like that one at all. She could tell by the scrunched up nose he gave her, though he didn't say so. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I don't care." Wolfgang sighed while he leaned up against a wall, exhausted. It felt like he had been up for days.

"Hmmmm. . ." Gloria hummed and eyed the pile of dresses she had laid out on the floor below her, all in size 5. She hadn't really paid much attention to the designs and colors as she pulled them off the rack before. She just looked at the sizes.

"This seems promising enough." Gloria smiled while she lifted one off the floor by it's hanger. She put on a black laced dress, with small white polka dots, and a single shoulder strap that went around her left shoulder. Oddly enough, it fit in all the right areas.

"Are you okay in there?" Wolfgang questioned loudly, to make sure she heard him. But instead of answering him she opened the door and stepped out.

"I'm fine, do you think this is okay?" Gloria said as she stood in front of him. Wolfgang's jaw fell in shock. This was the girl he kissed just over a half hour ago? It couldn't be. This girl was different. This girl was gorgeous. Yet, so was the other. After all they're the same girl. This one's just in a dress.

"It's perfect." Wolfgang said while breaking his silence. Gloria looked up at him with a grin.

"You're just saying that." she told him while twirling herself back into the changing room, before he could witness her blushing.

"Am not!" Wolfgang yelled very defensively. He then heard Gloria giggle from behind the changing room.

. . .

Gloria ended up buying the polka dotted dress, Wolfgang rented his tux, and they placed them in the back seat of Wolfgang's car. Gloria however kept her bag up front.

"I bought you a gift." Gloria grinned as she gave him the bag before they left for home. Wolfgang took the bag quickly and looked through it.

"The book?" Wolfgang was surprised she'd even been paying attention to him while reading her own books.

"Yeah, you looked like you were enjoying it. So there you go." Gloria gave him a small peck on his cheek before buckling up her seatbelt. Wolfgang smirked as he put the bag in the back with their clothes.

"How can I keep on hating girls if all you do is prove me wrong about 'em?" Wolfgang sighed while he started his car.

"Don't. You can't assume everyone is the same." Gloria said as she rolled her window down and stuck her hand out of it. Wolfgang turned to look at her while he pulled out of the parking lot. Yep, he had done the right thing by letting her in his life. She wasn't like his mother at all. She would never leave him. But, what if she was? Should he even let her know what happened to his mom? What if she laughs in his face? What then? Then, his dad would be right.

. . .

When Wolfgang got home, he notice liked around his dad's room and noticed his large duffle bag was missing. As well as all of his clothes in his drawers. Which wasn't a total surprise. But through the corner of his eyes, Wolfgang saw an envelop sticking out from under his father's bed. Out of pure curiosity he walked up to it and picked it up.

"What's this? Looks old." he said as he flipped it over to find his father's name written fancily in woman's cursive over the middle. Wolfgang then sat down on his dad's bed as he opened it. A worn out folded piece of paper fell onto Wolfgang's lap perfectly. Almost as if it had known Wolfgang's actions.

Slowly, Wolfgang opened the folded piece of paper so that it was now fully opened. He took a deep breath and started to read what the letter had to say.

_Hank, _

_As you probably already know, I'm gone. I've packed my things and left. To where, you might be wondering. Well, so am I. I'm not exactly sure of what I'm doing. But I had to leave. _

_Last Thursday, I realized that I wanted to go to New York. But as you said "We can't just pack up our things and leave. We have a child. We aren't kids anymore, we have responsibilities." Which is indeed true. But I wasn't much of a mother anyway, was I? Always forgetting to nurse Wolfgang, always forgetting to buy more baby food, always forgetting to put him down for a nap. So much more, I always forgot. I know he deserves more than me and so don't you, wether you'll ever admit it or not. _

_I'm sorry for what this will do to you. I truly am sorry, Hank. But I just can't deal with this constant feeling of being trapped anymore. You know, most people that feel trapped often start to self-harm themselves? I learned that last month in my Psychology class. I thought it was interesting. Because ever since I became a mother, I felt so. . . trapped and tied down. But I never thought self-harming would do me any good. You'd call me crazy. I'd think I was too. So, that idea was shot down._

_Do whatever it takes to keep Wolfgang happy, even if it means breaking your heart in the process. Just so that he knows that you're always going to be there for him. Always be there for him, Hank. For me and for him. But mostly for __**you. **_

_As I'm writing this note, I begin to realize how much pain you might be in and it almost makes me stop writing all together. As I stop, I cry. I can't stand the though of putting you through any type of pain at all. I don't want to do that to you or Wolfgang. Believe me, I don't. But I'm a coward. _

_It's as simple as that. I've left and I'll travel around New York. Do what needs to be done. If in time, I come back, or you find me. Then I'll come home because then I'll know what I was never sure of before I left. _

_Love Always, _

_Amanda. _

Wolfgang's head began to spin around in circles. Was it his fault his mother left? She didn't want to take care of him? No wonder, his dad was never around. Wolfgang knew he wouldn't want to be around a child if it took Gloria away from him. Even if it was his own. Everything Wolfgang had ever been through finally just clicked. It was all his fault.


	7. Ch 7: Drama is your middle name

_**A/n: Sorry about the late update. I had some trouble putting this chapter together due to lack of motivation. But here it is! Warning: Wolfgang and Gloria fight! *gasps* DRAMA! **_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Hey Arnold yet. **_

_**P.S. You don't have to review for this one. I know it's stupid. But I had to have a filler chapter and this was it. But you're welcome to, if you wish! 3 **_

From that moment unto the next day, Wolfgang let guilt take his body over. It was guilt that made him stay in bed when he should've been at school. It was guilt that made him sit in front of the T.V. Flipping through mindless channels, non-stop. It was guilt that made him feel so horrible about himself.

For fifteen years, his father had been keeping that letter a secret from him. Or else he just didn't want him to feel the way he did now. In that way he was fulfilling his mother's _(apparently Amanda)_ last request before leaving for good. So many questions ran through Wolfgang's mind as he just sat down on the couch and he did nothing to relax them. Like it would work anyway. Wolfgang wondered what his mother looked like now. He had seen a picture of her once, when he was five. She had long curly, blonde hair and bright green eyes _(much like Wolfgang's)_, as well as rosy pink cheeks, and a thin figure. She looked sweet enough. Then again, she didn't look like the type of person to go all Caraphernila on her family. _**(a/n: Caraphernila: a condition in which someone abandons you but leaves behind their belongings including painful memories). **_

Wolfgang was in a rut and didn't feel like being bothered. Yet, he still managed to wonder what Gloria was doing in Calculus, _alone. _Without him. She probably found someone else to talk to. Wolfgang cringed his teeth at the thought.

No, that's inconceivable! She'd never talk to anybody but him in Calculus! Right? Wolfgang got up and decided he'd better get something to eat. To take his mind off things. It was only Monday and he was ridiculously tired. How was he supposed to handle the rest of the week in such an emotional state like this? His mother did this to him and she wasn't even there. Which hurt him that much more.

At the end of the school day, Ed and Mickey let themselves in. They found Wolfgang sitting on the couch with a bowl of chips on his lap. They sighed, knowing he was in a depressed mood.

"Why weren't you at school today?" Mickey said as he sat on Wolfgang's left while Edmund sat on Wolfgang's right.

"I had better things to do." Wolfgang managed to mutter. They could tell just by the look on his face that he wasn't in the mood for any pestering. But hey, that's what friends do.

"Like?" Ed questioned as he took the remote out of Wolfgang's hand and shut the T.V. Off.

"HEY! I was watching that dammit, Ed!" Wolfgang yelled while Mickey took the bowl of chips away from him too.

"Tell us what happened, now." Ed demanded while staring at him. That's when everything finally became real to Wolfgang. Though he finally said everything out loud, it didn't seem to make it any easier to deal with. It just made everything that much more realistic.

"Wow, so. . . your dad's been hiding this from you?" Mickey rose an eyebrow, but wasn't all that surprised.

"For fifteen years?" Ed added to Mickey's question.

"Yep." Wolfgang sighed as he avoided eye contact with them.

"That must really suck. Well, look how bout we try and take your mind off this for awhile by calling Gloria. Maybe she'll have an idea of what to do." Mickey suggested.

"Fine whatever, just don't tell her about my problem okay?" Wolfgang said as Ed pulled out his phone and dialed Gloria's number.

"Sure." Ed agreed. Gloria picked up after the first two rings.

"Hello? Edmund?" Gloria answered, after checking her called ID.

"Yeah, it's me. Look we need to do something with Wolfgang. He's been feeling a bit depressed today." Edmund said as Wolfgang glared at him unhappily. It was pretty clear that he wasn't in the mood to do anything. Even with Gloria involved.

"Sure, I'll be over in a few minutes. I have to finish washing the dishes first though." she told them with a big smile on her lips. Wolfgang listened intently as he heard her oh so familiar voice and he couldn't imagine anyone else he'd want to be around at that moment. He needed her. For the very first time in his life he was dependent on another human being, another human being of the opposite sex. Just knowing that fact alone could've killed his pride. But it didn't. Instead, it made him the slightest bit happier about himself. He knew he wasn't so alone anymore.

Now, like I said before in an earlier chapter Wolfgang didn't believe in fate, destiny, soul-mates, or anything of that nature. He was more of the pessimist, depressed, seeing the world how it really was type of guy. He didn't pay attention to his dreams and he hardly ever fantasized over anything other than his mother coming back home. Gloria believed entirely opposite of him. Yet they wouldn't find out where they stood in the universe with each other until much later.

After Gloria arrived, she, Ed, and Mickey took Wolfgang to a movie. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Even Wolfgang tried to have some fun. He tried to forget about his mother. Which failed.

Amanda would always come up from the very depths of his mind. It was like she haunted him. Everywhere he went, everyone he saw, and everyone he would ever meet, each person made Wolfgang think of her in some way. Everything connected him with the thought of his absent mother.

Did she even care he was alive? Did she care that he was blaming himself? No. Or else she would've been there by now. That's how Wolfgang felt, so guilty and alone. Even with his friends. Even with Gloria. Nothing could free him from the pain he felt in his heart, knowing that he was the one who drove his own mother away.

By the end of the movie, Wolfgang loathed himself. It wasn't like he was trying to be upset. It just happened and it wouldn't go away. He felt as if there was a huge glass wall between himself and the rest of humanity. Between him and the rest of the _'happy' _people. And he was trying to get out. But he didn't have the energy to destroy the wall. He realized that didn't really want to, either.

Gloria noticed the distance in his eyes. She could tell that he was upset. She didn't know if she could make him feel okay again. But she knew she would try. She would try her hardest. She had to. Because that's what friends were supposed to do. Or so that's what she'd want someone else to do for her.

By the time they reached Wolfgang's home, it was only Wolfgang and Gloria. Edmund and Mickey called it a night and went home after the movie. So they were alone. Just the two of them.

"I think that had to be the lamest movie I've ever seen in my entire life." Wolfgang sighed as he opened the door to let Gloria inside.

"Yeah, it was pretty cheesy. Huh?" Gloria laughed as she turned to face him. He simply shrugged, not really feeling up to saying anything out loud. She knew something must've hurt him. Something was wrong. She wanted to know what it was.

"Okay. I can't take it anymore. What the hell is wrong with you?" Gloria demanded in a firm voice. Wolfgang's eyelids rose at the curse word that slipped from her oh so innocent mouth.

"Nothing's wrong." Wolfgang lied through his not so white teeth. Gloria rose an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You really think you can just lie to me? I'm nice but I'm not stupid!" Gloria now yelled, she was loosing her patience with this boy. He was avoiding the problem and that made the problem worse.

"What do you want me to do, Gloria?! _What? _I went to that stupid movie for you! Obviously, that didn't help! There are some things that just need to be kept private, okay?" Wolfgang snapped at her bitterly. She paused, feeling angry.

"Fine! Keep to yourself. It's not like I care about you or anything!" Gloria screamed at the top of her lungs before walking passed him, out the door, then slamming it shut behind her. Ten seconds after she left, he realized that he let her go. She was gone. _He pushed her away, just like he did to his mother._

"God, I am such a fuck-up!" Wolfgang yelled at himself. He couldn't do anything right, it seemed. So with a long sigh, he slowly walked to his room and fell on his bed. Then he slept away the rest of his day. Even while dreaming he was reminded of all the mistakes he's ever made. He just couldn't get a break from life.


	8. Ch 8: Mommy problems

_**A/n: Eeeeeepppp I love this chapter! It's so emotional! Asdfghjkl; (Yeah, Wolfgang will be outta character for this. But only a smidgen). HA! A smidgen.**_

_**Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah. I don't own Hey Arnold, obviously.**_

_**P.S. Review? (: **_

Wolfgang then decided he wasn't ready to face Gloria, or his friends at school. For fear of making things worse. Which, he probably would anyway. So, he spent the next three full days in bed or in front of the T.V. His father came home on Wednesday. Noticing Wolfgang's slightly odd behavior, his dad got curious and began asking the tough questions.

"What's wrong?" his father said as he sat down on his recliner.

"Nothing." Wolfgang lied again. He wasn't the best liar, was he?

"Bullshit." his dad said, in a way that caused Wolfgang to turn his head. Only slightly so that he could see his face.

"I found the letter. Okay?" Wolfgang told him in a mumble as he began changing channels.

"What?" Hank sat there, more shocked than confused. He thought he hide it in his safe! Stupid, Hank. Stupid, stupid Hank. Now he let Amanda down and now Wolfgang was hurt because of his carelessness.

"You know which letter. The one you hid from me!" Wolfgang rose his voice. Hank just stared at his son. At the moment, it was all he could do. By now Hank had memorized every single damn word she had written. After reading it at least four times a day for fifteen years, it was kind of hard to just forget or ignore.

"How could you keep something like that from me? Why couldn't you just tell me I'm the whole reason she left? Why couldn't you just say something instead of ignoring me all this time?! Huh?" Wolfgang was so angry that he had tears streaming down his cheeks. They were tiny tears, but tears nonetheless.

"You have to understand something, Wolfgang. No matter what you think or how you feel right now. You weren't the reason she left! From the very beginning she knew she wouldn't stay with me forever. She even told me that. I can't blame her for wanting to explore the world. That's who she was. Carefree, adventurous, and oblivious to how other people around her felt. I kept that letter from you so you wouldn't feel any worse about the situation we are in now. Guess I didn't do such a good job of it." Hank yelled in a loud voice. Wolfgang just let more and more tears escape his eyes. But he cursed himself for it on the inside. His whole entire world just crashed on the floor in front of him. All he wanted to do was die and stop feeling. But that was cowardly, wasn't it?

"She didn't even care about me." Wolfgang could only manage a whisper as his voice cracked. He couldn't look his father in the eyes, he was too ashamed from crying. Too ashamed from feeling so much.

"It may look that way, son. But it's a damned lie. She loved you more than well anything. See, each year on your birthday. After you turned 4. She wrote you a letter. I kept them from you for selfish reasons. But now I think, you should read them. If you want to see them that is." Hank swallowed some saliva quickly. The truth was hard to get out. Wolfgang didn't know what to think. His mother had been trying to keep in touch with him? Why?

"Fine." Wolfgang nodded his head while he wiped his eyes clean from the salt water that already stained his now rosy cheeks. He adjusted himself on the couch.

"I'll go get them." Hank said before getting up and leaving for his room. Wolfgang couldn't believe how emotional he was being. Even in front of his own father, it was embarrassing. A couple of seconds later Hank re-entered the living room carrying a small closed shoebox. Without a word, he handed the box to Wolfgang.

Wolfgang took it and set it in his lap. Hank sat back down on his recliner and watched his son as he opened the box slowly to reveal fifteen letters and already opened envelops. Each with many different stamps. Some from Africa, France, Australia, and even Madagascar. So, she liked to travel huh? Wolfgang then opened the first letter from his fourth birthday.

_'Wolfgang, _

_I hope that you can read by now. You always were a smart boy. Always one step ahead of me at least. You may be wondering why I left. I left because I wanted to see the world and all that it had to offer. _

_This may not make sense to you at the moment. So I'll keep this simple. I love you, don't forget that. No matter what happens. I'll always be your mother. Even if I'm not there with you to show it. Happy birthday. _

_Love Always, _

_Mom.' _

Wolfgang started crying all over again. All this time he thought she didn't care. All this time, he hated her for leaving. But she did care. She loved him! Hank watched Wolfgang cry in silence. He wasn't sure what to do. But he left him alone. Wolfgang skipped around a couple letters and read one from his thirteenth birthday.

_'Wolfgang, _

_I assume you probably don't remember me now. Which hurts me to even think about. But it's our reality now. I'm just a stranger writing to you on your birthday. I can only blame myself for this feeling, I know. I hope you're doing well. _

_Before you forget me completely, I'll give you a photo of us that I look at every day. It's my favorite. I want to share it with you. _

_*Wolfgang picks up an old photo from the box*_

_It's not much. But it's the only picture I had of you smiling. You always were grumpy, just like your father. Anyway Hank took that on a day we all went out for a picnic. And the only reason you're smiling is because I made funny faces at you. _

_This might not mean much. But I miss you. Every day. I want to come back because I miss you too much. But I can't face my fears, not yet. Maybe later on I'll grow up and come home. Happy Thirteenth Birthday. _

_Love Always, _

_Mom.'_

Wolfgang's face was drenched with tears. As much as he wanted to, he didn't wipe them away. He couldn't explain the sudden feeling of relief he felt, knowing that his mother cared. Wherever it was she had been on the day of his birth, she always thought of him. It was enough. Even if she didn't believe so. Those eighteen letters he was holding in that one shoe box were more valuable to him than his own life. So, with a small breath he looked through the letters for the most recent. His eighteenth birthday.

_'Wolfgang,_

_So, you're a full blown adult now. You can't even begin to imagine the regret I'm feeling today for not being in your life. _

_It upsets me. Maybe you think I deserve it. And you're probably right. I don't deserve a child as wonderful as I already know you are. Over the years I bring it upon myself to call your father. But I always hang up before it reaches the second ring. _

_The truth is, I'm still in love with him. No matter how much I tell myself I'm not. I hope that when you find someone special in your life, that you don't let them go. No matter what they say, or do. Don't let them leave. If they mean that much to you, you'll regret it. Another lesson on love I'd like to share with you is that if you ever want to go somewhere. Take the person (or in my case people) that mean the most to you, with you. Don't abandon them for your own selfish desires. It will haunt you for the rest of your life. _

_I've been thinking, I want to go back to New York. I want to come back home. But I'm not sure if I'd be welcomed back. I'm not sure if I should come home. Not unless you and Hank both want me back. I guess I'll head off to New York and think this over. It may take days for my decision, it may take weeks. Or even months. But I will come home, soon. Happy Birthday. _

_Love Always, _

_Mom.'_

Wolfgang lifted his head up so that he faced his father. He however was staring at the ground.

"She's coming back?" Wolfgang could only whisper through fresh tears.


	9. Ch 9: Homecoming part I

_**A/n: So, I haven't updated in awhile. My motivation level is horribly low right now. I apologize. But I made this. Oh and it's almost my homecoming guys! Ahhhh! This weekend! Anyway Wolfgang is going to spill his guts to Gloria because he likes her too much to let her be mad at him. Then Gloria gets ready for homecoming. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own HEY ARNOLD!**_

_**P.S.: You know what to do R&R! :D**_

"Don't get your hopes up, son." Hank told his son with a small lump in his throat. Once he pushed that aside, he looked up at Wolfgang.

"Yeah. You're probably right." Wolfgang nodded his head, placed the letter back into the box, then he tossed it lightly onto the floor in front of him. With a small breath of air he stood up and headed out the door without another word.

. . .

Wolfgang found himself at the park with Gloria, Edmund, and Mickey. He wasn't sure how to tell them about his mother. He wasn't sure how he'd tell Gloria about everything that had happened over the past week. But he really hoped she wasn't too mad at him. That would break his heart.

"Look, Gloria I'm sorry I yelled at you the other day." Wolfgang apologized as the group stood in front of a park bench.

"Don't be. I'm the one who pressured you into telling me something that wasn't any of my buisness in the first place. _I'm_ sorry." Gloria said with a warm smile she had pointed at him. That's why Wolfgang liked her. Gloria didn't just say _I told you so_ like most people do. She always tried to make Wolfgang feel better about himself. Wolfgang took a deep breath then sat down on the bench, Gloria sat down next to him. Edmund and Mickey took their seats down on the grass.

"Gloria I have to tell you about my mom." Wolfgang said as he turned to face her. Gloria pulled her hair up into a ponytail quickly.

"Alright, go ahead. I'm listening." Gloria gave him a warm smile.

"When I was three years old my mother abandoned me and my father to travel the world. Ever since I was old enough to think for myself I believed that all girls were horrible creatures that just wanted to hurt you. Then on Monday I found a letter that my mom wrote to my dad just before he left. It made me feel responsible for her leaving and that's why I skipped school and that's why I was so angry." Wolfgang paused as he took a deep breath, then he turned to look at Edmund and Mickey. They both gave him a thumbs up and crooked smiles for encouragement. This was all too odd for Wolfgang. He had never told anyone about his mother before. There was no need to, everyone in his life already knew about it.

"Go on." Gloria told him as she put her hands on top of one another and placed them on her lap.

"Well, earlier Hank came home. I told him that I found the letters and then yelled at him for hiding it from me. Because I thought he didn't want me to know the true reason why she left. Then he gave me a shoe box full of letters that Amanda wrote me. She wrote me every day on my birthday from the time I was four years old until three months ago. She told me that she missed me and Hank, that she loved us, and that. . . she's coming back." Wolfgang told all of them at once. Everybody's eyes went big and wide.

_"What the hell?"_ Edmund asked them.

"Do you think you guys can handle it? You know, if she comes back?" Mickey questioned him carefully. Not really knowing how Wolfgang would feel if his mother came back to live with them.

"I don't even know. But I'm not going to worry about Amanda. Right now I'm just going to have a fun night with my best friends and you, Gloria." Wolfgang gave his friends a smirk, then turned to look at Gloria.

"So, I'm not included as your best friend?" Gloria rose an eyebrow and frowned, cutely. She was like a doll. Fragile and gorgeous to the very touch. Wolfgang had to keep in mind that she wasn't his yet. Or else he might've done something stupid, like kiss her cheek.

"No you're a bit more than that. Let's just say that if I ever wanted to spend the rest of my life with a girl. I want that girl to be you." Wolfgang whispered before wrapping his arm around Gloria's neck then he pulled her close to his side. Gloria let herself giggle happily under his warm arms.

"Why would you want to do a silly thing like that?" Gloria smiled as she looked up at him, then bent forward to kiss his cheek. Wolfgang smirked at the sudden contact of her lips.

"I'm not sure. But I want you Gloria and I'll stay with you. Just as long as you want me around." Wolfgang bent down and whispered into her ear so that Mickey and Edmund couldn't hear him. Gloria's cheeks turned a deep red at his closeness.

. . .

The rest of the week went by smoothly. No complications, no sudden problems. Wolfgang and Gloria officially started dating. But they decided they would wait and count homecoming as their first _real _date. Edmund and Mickey were as stupid as ever and they went to a bunch of parties thus getting drunk for most of the week. Then Friday came. The night that everyone had waited for finally arrived. _**Homecoming.**_

The gang was over at Wolfgang's house getting ready for the dance. The guys helped Gloria make some diner. They ate their meal and talked. Afterwhich they began to change.

"You can take my room, Gloria. We'll just change in the living room." Wolfgang said then he held her captive for a second as he kissed her forehead.

"Are you sure?" Gloria questioned while looking him in his big beautiful bright green eyes.

"Yeah." Wolfgang nodded his head, Gloria grinned then kissed his nose politely before skipping off into Wolfgang's room. Once she shut the door she locked it and sighed. She couldn't believe it. Wolfgang was her boyfriend. _Her actual, first real __**boyfriend!**_

This was all so new and exciting for her. She couldn't wait to get to their school so that she could dance with Wolfgang. That is if he wanted to. Gloria thought of Wolfgang as she changed into her fancy-frilly black and white polka dot dress. Gloria then applied a very small amount of make up on her face and changed into a pair of red 3 inich heels. Afterward she painted her nails red as she waited for her curling iron to heat up.

Gloria glanced around Wolfgang's room. It was filled with random sports equipment all including a baseball glove, bat, football, golf clubs, and a basketball. They were tossed all over the room. Gloria then curled her hair and pinned some of the extra layers here and there up with bobby pins. So then she was ready. But she wasn't quite ready to leave Wolfgang's room. In fact she was ready to do a little investigaton of her own.

First, she looked over his desk. Nothing in particular was on top of it other than crumpled up pieces of paper and used gum wrappers. After that she went through a couple of drawers. She found a lot of loose change, paper clips, pens, and post it notes that had chicken scratch written on them. Most of which were just old reminders to finish homework. Gloria wondered if he ever listened to the notes he made himself.

After searching through his drawers awhile she came across a photo. It was of three boys about nine years old. Immediately she spotted Wolfgang in the middle. He had his arms around his friends. On his left was Mickey who happened to have two missing front teeth (she's guessing by a fight or sports). On Wolfgang's right there was Edmund with a baseball glove and a ball in his hands. They looked so young, yet happy together.

Gloria found herself smiling down at the photograph in her hands. She couldn't believe that Wolfgang would keep this for so long. Edmund and Mickey really do mean a lot to him. Eventhough a lot of people just see them as only his croanies. They mean so much more to him than just best friends too. They're his _family._


	10. Ch 10: Homecoming part II

_**A/n: So to keep up with my updating qualities here's another short-ish chapter! I tried to make it longer. But ya know, things don't go how I plan. Ever. :/ **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold.**_

_**P.S. Review?(: **_

Wolfgang, Edmund, and Mickey were putting finishing touches on their matching black and white tuxedo's. Each boy tied their neck ties perfectly, not a word being said between them. There was no real need.

"So, this is our last homecoming." Edmund broke their solitary silence.

"Yep. Looks like it, huh?" Wolfgang nodded his head as he walked to the kitchen. The guys followed him. As they always did.

"You know being this grown up. It kinda scares me." Mickey admitted in a soft voice as Wolfgang opened the fridge.

"How?" Wolfgang asked while taking out three cold beer cans.

"I dunno, the amount of responsibility is kind of over whelming to think about I guess." Edmund finished Mickey's thought. Wolfgang handed them each a beer, they took it and opened them up.

"It kinda is. But I don't think it'll be too different from now. We just won't have school. We'll have jobs." Wolfgang said as he took the first sip from his can.

"You mean you aren't scared?" Edmund asked him while taking his first drink slowly.

"Not so much. I've been on my own for awhile. But as long as I have you guys I'll be fine. I mean you guys know I couldn't handle any of this without you, right?" Wolfgang glanced up at the two. They both looked at each other then back at Wolfgang. He was being uncharacteristically affectionate. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing. But it was odd.

"We had an idea." Mickey gave him a small smirk then he laughed.

"Now there's Gloria and its like my whole life has been flipped upside down in just a matter of three weeks. It's so unreal." Wolfgang admitted as he took a seat on top of his kitchen table.

"You really like her-" Mickey paused and looked at Edmund.

"Don't you?" he finished on Que..

"Okay, you two need to spend less time together. That's creepy how you finish each others sentences like that. But yes. I do like her a lot." Wolfgang said as he put his can down beside him.

"That's impossible. We pretty much live together. So, when are you gonna tell her how you really feel?" Edmund explained then asked him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe after the dance? That is only if things go well. If not, you'll find me getting wasted at some party and passed out on someone's couch by seven in the morning." Wolfgang said with a smirk.

"At least he's being honest." Mickey laughed and put his arm around Edmund.

"Very true." Edmund agreed while pinching Mickey's nose, telling him to back off of him. In which case Mickey released his grip and freed Edmund.

"Well, well, don't you boys look handsome." Gloria's angelic voice sounded from the hallway. All three boys turned their heads to find a blonde haired blue eyed beauty staring right back at them. Wolfgang's heart raced at the sight of her presence, yet he sat still and only acknowledged her with a simple nod of his head.

"You look _amazing." _Edmund complimented with a rather large smile. Gloria eyed him suspiciously while she walked up to the three that were standing in a triangle formation.

"Really? You think so?" Gloria asked while Wolfgang took another drink from his can which was almost half empty.

"Um yeah, I do." Edmund said as Gloria took the can from Wolfgang's hands just before it hit his lips. She then quickly took a drink from it. Wolfgang could only stare at her in pure fascination. She had some sort of spell cast on the boy. It was simple beauty that she possessed. Yet, to him she was a magnificent seductress that could control him with one simple wink. Once she was finished with the can she placed it back in his hand then smiled up at him.

"Cat got your tongue, Wolfgang?" she whispered and laughed, her red lips danced over her pale skin so beautifully that he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But instead he just smirked back at her.

"Something like that." he admitted then moved his eyes down towards the flooring. The boys laughed at him. Gloria simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's go before we're late!" Gloria grabbed ahold of Wolfgang's hand and pulled him off the kitchen table gracefully.

"Alright." Wolfgang mumbled while emptying the rest of his beer and tossing it into the garbage. Ed and Mickey did the same as they followed the two outside. It was cold, fall had approached them. Orange, red, and yellow leaves were everywhere. Some were on the ground others were flying all sorts of lonely places.

"Isn't it beautiful? Oh I just love fall! All the colors are so. . . natural." Gloria grinned as she turned to look at Wolfgang's reaction to it. He didn't care much for fall. Fall meant November. November meant thanksgiving. Thanksgiving meant another holiday being spent alone while Hank was away down at Las Vegas. Getting wasted, going to strip clubs, and gambling away his life savings _(not to mention retirement money). _

"I could do without it." was all Wolfgang had to say about the subject. Gloria then realized that she shouldn't have brought it up. So, she didn't talk the rest of the walk to the school. She didn't even try to hold his hand. As much as she wanted to. And it was killing her not to try. But she thought she'd just annoy him.

The gang reached the school's entrance. There Wolfgang handed the four tickets over to the people working at the booths. They then entered the dance. Gloria felt out of place. She didn't know what to do. This after all was her first dance.

What was right? What was wrong? She had no idea. She felt like an idiot. But followed the three guys she came in with.

"Well, it looks like they actually put some money into it this year. Shocker." Wolgang laughed as he looked at Edmund and Mickey.

"Yeah I know. But it's probably just because they have Ronda on homecoming committee this year." Edmund replied, Wolfgang rose an eyebrow. He'd heard the girls name before. But he couldn't remember who she was exactly.

"The snobby rich girl who hangs out with those fourth graders we used to beat up in elementary school." Mickey explained, realization struck Wolfgang.

"Ohhhh yeah! She was annoying." Wolfgang said as they paused in front of a circular table. There were multi colored lights everywhere, pink and black streamers, and a snack table which included a chocolate fountain and a cotton candy machine. Music filled the gym and made the floor vibrate beneath Gloria's feet. She looked around the gym and noticed others were dancing and some were just standing in a group talking with each other. It was a bit intimidating. She didn't know what to do. So she just stood there awkwardly behind Wolfgang. Hoping she wouldn't be noticed. But much to her luck, someone did indeed notice her. Wolfgang. He turned around to face her. She blushed immediately.

"So, d-d-do you m-maybe wanna dance or something?" Wolfgang stammered and struggled to ask her. He didn't know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. Oh yeah, he didn't know how to dance! What was he doing?

"Sure." she nodded her head and smiled widely in response. Wolfgang then took her hand and cautiously led her onto the dance floor.

They stared at each other. Unsure of what to do. Dancing was complicated. Or at least, the first time at it anyway.

"You said you've danced before. Right?" Wolfgang questioned, in slight fear. Gloria smiled in surprise. He actually remembered her saying that she used to dance?

"Yeah, I did." Gloria smiled and nodded her head as she took his hands and placed them on her waist. Wolfgang swallowed saliva nervously before letting the train wreck he knew was going to happen begin.

So, they began to slow dance together. It helped that a slow song was playing. But that didn't seem to help Wolfgang's lack of dance skills. He kept telling himself not to screw up. Yet, whenever he did that he always stopped moving and stood still. So he tried not to think about what he was doing.

"You're doing just fine." Gloria smiled up at him, assuring him that he was okay. But he didn't feel the same way about it. In fact, he felt like he was doing awful. Like every kid does as their learning how to ride their bike without training wheels.

Before he knew what he was doing, his feet got all twisted around and he didn't know which was left of which was right anymore.

But what he did know was that he just stomped on Gloria's foot. He knew this because she was trying her hardest not to cry out in pain. She was too nice, dammit! He deserved to be yelled at for that. Something. Anything! But no. Gloria just took a deep breath.

"I am so sorry, Gloria! Really, I am! You want to cry? You can cry if you want to. Or yell at me. Either is cool with me." Wolfgang said as he pulled himself away from the girl. Again, she was in pain. But being the nice girl she was, she didn't have it in her to yell at him. Plus she didn't want to yell at him.

"No, I'm fine. I-I just need to find the nurse. . ." and just like that, she was gone. Wolfgang felt horrible for what he'd done. _I should've been paying more attention, dammit!_ He thought to himself. _What if Gloria's mad at me now? _

"Hey Wolfgang, I never thought I'd see you at a high school dance!" a deep voice laughed from behind him. Wolfgang turned around and saw a familiar face.

"Ludwig? What are you doing here? Didn't you graduate last year?" Wolfgang then smiled and high fived his old best friend.

"Um I did. But my brother's a Sophomore this year so I had to pick him up. I thought, hey might as well see what's new with you and the boys." Ludwig said as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Not much, really. Ed and Mickey are as dumb as ever. But loyal. Old Hank is still a blowhard that's never around. So, it's normal." Wolfgang said as a loud song came on.

"So I guess that means you haven't changed much either?" Ludwig asked, Wolfgang wasn't sure how to answer that. Was he the same? Or had he changed since he met Gloria? Well obviously he knew the answer was yes. But after their night had started off so horribly he knew it would end just as badly.

"Not so much." Wolfgang answered honestly. Ludwig then smirked at him.

"Then you should blow this joint and come back to my place. College parties are the best. Especially the girls. They're always easy because they're all wasted as fuck and the best part is that they don't remember a thing in the morning." Ludwig used a very persuasive voice. It was hard for Wolfgang to ignore it. He wanted so much to just get drunk and pass out wherever. Just so that he could forget his mistakes. So that he could forget himself. Even if it was for just one night.

"Yeah? Alright. I'll take you up on that offer." Wolfgang smirked, Ludwig laughed.

"That's the Wolfgang I remember! Come on, we can get my brother and leave this shit hole." Ludwig said as he nodded to the door. Wolfgang laughed and followed him to a circle table by the door. There the Sophomore boys were in a small group of three. They happened to be in the middle of exchanging ecstasy pills.

"Not here you fucking idiot! If you get caught mom will be on my ass about it!" Ludwig grabbed ahold of his brother's shirt and yanked him out of the gym quickly. His friends laughed and pointed at him.

. . .

When Wolfgang entered Ludwig's dorm room he noticed one thing and one thing only. The girls. They were all over Ludwig when he arrived.

"Hey girls, I've got someone I want you to meet. He's a buddy of mine." Ludwig said as he grabbed ahold of Wolfgang and pulled him into the circle of party girls, already drunk.

"Who is he? He's so hot!" a beautiful brunette grinned at the sight of him. Wolfgang rose an eyebrow.

"This is my friend, Wolfgang. I think you'd like him." Ludwig smiled and pointed to him as a girl handed Wolfgang a can of cold beer.

"Well Wolfgang, I certainly hope you know how to have a good time." a twenty year old girl with blue eyes and black hair whispered lowly, she placed her hand up to his cheek and stroked it with her thumb. The girl was stunning. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't say a word. His mind was telling him no. But all he did was take a large gulp from his can quickly.

"Have a good time, buddy!" Ludwig patted his back then turned his attention back to the many girls that were pawing at him. Before Wolfgang knew what was going on next, a pair of pink lips were attached to his. He knew he'd regret everything when he woke up. He'd despise himself. But at the moment. He just didn't give a shit anymore.


	11. Ch 11: He's in love

_**A/n: Because I left the chapter off in a bad note. Major fluff! 3 (:**_

_**Disclaimer: Do I own Hey Arnold? No. Do I claim to? No.**_

_**P.S. I just had to put Kids In Love by Mayday Parade in this. It fit so perfectly that I couldn't resist!(; You know what to do! Review and tell me what you think! :D**_

Wolfgang woke up with an awful taste in his mouth. Then he realized, it was his own vomit. Not exactly what he had in mind waking up to. As he wiped his mouth he sat up in a strangers bed. This wasn't a strange feeling. Actually it was relatively normal to him.

"Morning." a girl's voice came from the opposite side of the room. Wolfgang's pounding headache was unbearable but he turned to look at her anyway. It was the girl from last night. The one with black hair and blue eyes. She was pale but still stunning.

"What exactly happened last night?" Wolfgang questioned even though as he was afraid of her answer. She smiled at him, then walked over to her dresser and looked for a clean shirt.

"Nothing really." she answered then turned her back to him and changed her shirt. Wolfgang looked away. He didn't remember a thing after they kissed.

"Could you be a little more specific?" Wolfgang questioned her while looking at the closed white door.

"Well, if you really want to know. We didn't have sex." the girl told him, Wolfgang's head snapped back to her in surprise.

"Really? Why not?" he was confused as to why they didn't. He knew for sure he'd have sex with her sober. So, why didn't he when he was drunk? The girl looked at him as she picked out a pair of socks. Then she walked over to him.

"For starters, you refused." she told him. Wolfgang rose an eyebrow. That very was uncharacteristic of him.

"I refused?" Wolfgang repeated her statement.

"Uhuh, you said something about a girlfriend named Gloria. Then you told me she was the best thing that ever happened in your life. You said that you're in love with her. But then you also said you always screwed it up. Which is how you ended up here." the girl with pink lips smiled fondly at Wolfgang. He didn't know what to say. Had he really told her all of those things? Why _her? _Why did he spill his guts out to her and **not **Gloria? Oh yeah. . . he left her at the dance.

"Fuck." Wolfgang put his hands up to his face and fell down on the bed.

"Don't worry, kid. I'm sure things'll turn out okay. They always do in the end. If its meant to be that is." the girl patted his left thigh.

"And if it isn't?" Wolfgang mumbled while staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, then it's fucked up forever and it can't be fixed. If it isn't worth the trouble and hurt then forget it. Even if it kills you inside. Which it probably will because feelings suck that way." she said simply while shrugging her shoulders. Wolfgang looked at the girl again.

"What do you think I should do? I kinda left her at the dance because I thought she was pissed off at me. But now I know for sure she's pissed, because I left her there." Wolfgang sat back up.

"Well I know for a fact that she'll be mad at you. But if you tell her how you feel and I mean how you really truly feel about her. She might let you off easy." the black haired girl winked at him with her sparkling blue eyes. Wolfgang considered her advice, then he smirked.

"So in detail, what did we honestly do all last night?" Wolfgang questioned her, curiously. It was killing him.

"First I kissed you then you kissed me back, but afterward pulled away. Then you spilled your guts out to me for the next seven hours about how lovely and beautiful Gloria is and if she's anything like the way you talk about her, I would apologize to her as soon as I possibly could." the mystery girl explained with a sweet smile on her lips.

"I'm that much of a dork? Wow and here I thought I was so cool." Wolfgang muttered sarcastically. This made the girl laugh. The girl then bent down to give him a kiss on his right cheek.

"No, you're not a dork. You're only in love." she whispered into his ear. Wolfgang just smiled in reaction. Just then the door opened and there she was. _Gloria. _

Her normal smile fell immediately. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. All in a matter of seconds. Wolfgang's eyes went wide at the sight of her.

"Oh, well I can see you're busy. So I'll just leave." Gloria whispered as she tried her hardest not to break down right there. Then she ran away. Wolfgang jumped up.

"Shit, not again! Why can't I ever get a fucking break?!" Wolfgang yelled angrily at himself for being an idiot.

"Go after her." the girl told him. Wolfgang just sighed heavily.

"What's the point anymore? She'll just be more upset with me than she already was." Wolfgang muttered in disappointment.

"If you love her. And I mean _really _love her like you told me you do. Then go after her. Don't stop until she hears you out. Okay? Do you hear me?" the girl lectured with her finger pointed at him. Wolfgang, rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll go after her." Wolfgang agreed as he headed for the door.

. . .

Gloria ran. She couldn't believe this! Not only did Wolfgang ditch her at the dance, but he slept with another girl! It was all just too much for her.

Tears hit her cheeks and blurred her vision as she ran down random streets. She couldn't think clearly. All she wanted to do was get away. Far away. The only person she needed the most was the person who was hurting her the most. After running a couple of blocks she stopped at a stop light and continued to cry while she caught her breath.

So, Wolfgang hadn't changed at all. Who was she kidding? He'd never change. The walk signal came on and Gloria took a few steps onto the walkway when two strong hands yanked her backwards just as a loud horn sounded. Gloria blinked the tears out of her eyes and saw a large van zoom by right in front of her. She should've been dead by now. Maybe that would be better than where she was at the moment. Yet here she was, bawling her eyes out.

Gloria turned around to see who it was that had pulled her back from death and saw Wolfgang. This only made her angrier. What was he trying do do anyway? Trick her into thinking she had the right to live, when really she didn't? Just like he tricked her into believing that he was her boyfriend, and that he actually gave a damn about her!

"You really need to be more careful, Gloria. You almost got yourself killed!" Wolfgang had the nerve to yell at her.

"Oh just _shut the __**fuck **__up_, Wolfgang!" Gloria had enough anger built up inside her to yell back at him. This reaction surprised both Wolfgang and herself. "Besides, it's not like you even give a damn!" Gloria screamed through fresh tears.

"Is that what you really think? That I don't care?" Wolfgang questioned her in a softer voice.

"Why wouldn't I think that way? Hmm maybe it's the fact that you left me at the school! Or maybe it's because you spent the night at a college frat boy party and you probably cheated on me with that girl who was just kissing you!" Gloria's face turned red with fury. Wolfgang had never seen her like this. He felt awful. Truly, he did.

"Look, I'm _really_ sorry that I ditched you. And I'm sorry that you think I cheated on you. But here's a vital piece of information you might wanna hear before you yell at me again. I didn't do anything with that girl besides kiss her. Okay? And that was only once. So yeah, that's bad. But it's not as bad as anything that could've happened!" Wolfgang nearly yelled at her again, but stopped when he realized his voice was getting too loud. Gloria couldn't look at him. She had mixed feelings about the whole situation. She felt bad that she accused him of having sex with her. But she was still hurt that he didn't tell her he was leaving.

_"I hate you." _Gloria whispered as her heart just continued to break. Over and over. It constantly ripped itself in half then sewed itself back together. Wolfgang's heart dropped at those words.

"Fine, go ahead. Hate me. Dump me! Because I don't have the heart to dump you. You wanna know why? Because _I'm fucking in love with you, Gloria!" _Wolfgang was yelling again. But he didn't care. She needed to hear this. Gloria turned to look at him when she heard the last part.

"You're not being fair about any of this!" Gloria screamed back at him. Wolfgang grabbed ahold of her arms and pulled her close to him.

"Nobody ever said falling in love was fair." Wolgang muttered lowly before leaning down and kissing her lips. Gloria didn't think of fighting back and she didn't want to. She kissed him back. This kiss was nothing like any of the ones they've shared before. See, this kiss was full of passion and emotion. There was no holding back, no fear, and there was no more guilt.

_***insert Kids In Love song by Mayday Parade at an extremely loud volume* **_

_I look back to the one and only summer time_

_And my girl was the envy of every friends of mine_

_She slept safely in my arms_

_We were so young and invincible_

_Closed lips, she was never one to kiss and tell_

_Those trips in the summer never went so well_

_Young love is such dumb love_

_Call it what you want it was still enough_

_And still out of my reach_

_And still all of the things_

_That I want in my life_

_How could I ask you to leave me?_

_And we were just kids in love_

_The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn't learn from_

_The first kiss stole the breath from my lips_

_Why did the last one tear us apart?_

_Our breath smelled of cigarettes and alcohol_

_We'd walk down the beach counting every star_

_Our hearts beat inside our chest_

_Leaving us gasping for every breath_

_Her smile with the wind blowing through her hair_

_Was so contagious in the air_

_So satisfying and I'm still smiling_

_And still out of my reach_

_And still all of the things_

_That I want in my life_

_How could I ask you to leave me?_

_And we were just kids in love_

_The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn't learn from_

_The first kiss stole the breath from my lips_

_Why did the last one tear us apart?_

_We're falling down, can we pick up the pieces?_

_We're at an all time low, how do we get it back?_

_We're falling down, can we pick up the pieces?_

_We're falling down, can we pick up the pieces now?_

_And we were just kids in love_

_The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn't learn from_

_The first kiss stole the breath from my lips_

_Why did the last one tear us..._

_We were just kids in love_

_The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn't learn from_

_The first kiss stole the breath from my lips_

_Why did the last one tear us apart?_

_We were just kids in love_

_The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn't learn from_

_The first kiss stole the breath from my lips_

_Why did the last one tear us apart?_

. . .

The next day there they were. Back to their normal lives. With only a small insignificant detail in difference. They were in love. Yeah, they fought sometimes. But over all it was for the best. Fighting worked for them. It got the point across that they loved each other enough to fight. Not just the bullshit kinda love that doesn't last either. But real love.

_**A/n: This isn't the end! Mwahahaha! :D**_


	12. Ch 12: Amanda is back

_**A/n: The title says it all. Amanda is back! This chapter will focus on Hank and Amanda's relationship and what their life was like before Wolfgang was born and before she left. Pretty much when they were madly in love with each other. As teenagers and such.**_

_**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hey Arnold. But I do own Hank and Amanda. So, suck it Nickelodeon! I'm awesome and you aren't! :P **_

_**P.S.: Tell me if your opinion of Amanda changed at all after reading this! :D **_

It was 3:30 in the morning. Yet, Amanda couldn't keep herself away any longer. With two very full bags in her hands she took one step up the stoop. The house hadn't changed at all. That's what caught her off guard the most. Hank was the type of person who could change his mind in a split second, just because he didn't like the way something looked. She figured he would've done a lot more renovating since their early marital years. But he hadn't.

With another deep inhale she took another step. This wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. In fact, she felt like running up the steps. That's how happy she was to be home. Yet, she wasn't entirely sure it was still her home anymore. Bank and Wolfgang might not want her back. That's what made her so hesitant. She knew what she had done way back when was wrong and selfish. She couldn't think of an apology big enough to say to them.

Once she reached the door, she stopped and set her bags down. Then she rang the doorbell once. A few moments later the door swung back, revealing a man with brown hair and dull brown eyes that were glazed over and red. He held a beer bottle in his hand. Which definitely wasn't his first. Amanda could tell that from the way his breath smelled.

There were no words being said. Just silence. Pure silence. Hank wasn't sure if this was a hallucination or not. He was wasted so it was hard to tell. Often when he got drunk he imagined Amanda, like this. Coming back home. But. . . this time seemed different. This Amanda didn't say a word. She just smiled gingerly. She seemed almost afraid to speak.

"Amanda?" Hank managed easily without slurring his vowels.

"Hello Hank." she replied, her voice sounded the same as it did eighteen years ago. That's what scared him the most. She was the same.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were busy traveling the world because that was obviously more important to you than I ever was." Hank asked bitterly, the words he said clearly hurt Amanda. But she knew that she deserved it.

"If you read any one of the thousands of letters that I sent you, you'd know that's not true." Amanda told him, this made Hank quiet as he thought of all the letters he had gotten over the years. This was yet another thing he had kept from Wolfgang. The fact that Amanda was still madly in love with Hank. That information could do so much damage to Wolfgang, or it might not. Hank didn't know. But he wasn't going to take the risk of hurting him anymore than he already had for the past fifteen years.

"I may know it isn't true. But it doesn't change the facts, Amamda. You left without us and you didn't come back." Hank said while looking into her bright green eyes. They hadn't changed either.

"I'm sorry, Hank. Really I am. I've felt nothing but regret, shame, and guilt for the past fifteen years. I've been hiding. I shouldn't have left without you and Wolfgang. I was wrong, I'll admit that. But I only did what I did to keep myself from feeling trapped. I didn't want to feel trapped. Because if I felt trapped I might not have been able to let myself live. If you can't forgive me for all that I've done to you well, then I'll just leave. But this time I won't write anymore letters. Because I'd know that you wouldn't want me to." Amanda was now crying. Truth be told, it broke Hank's heart to see her like this. Vulnerable and weak. Amanda's always been one to refrain herself from letting her true emotions be shown.

"Amanda. . . I-" Hank started to say but he couldn't exactly find any write words. So, he just took a step away from the doorway.

"Come inside." he waved his hand for her to enter. Amanda paused as she cleaned off the tears from her eyes. She then picked up her bags and walked in silently. After entering she noticed he hadn't taken down the wallpaper she insisted on getting when they were first married. Hank noticed she was looking at it while he shut the door.

"I always tried to take that wallpaper down. But when I finally brought myself to do it, I just couldn't." Hank said as Amanda walked around the kitchen to look at all the small flowers. She smiled to herself while examining it, then she turned back to face Hank.

"Funny, I was sure you'd rip it down the very minute you found out that I was gone." Amanda forced out a laugh.

"Believe me, I tried. I was pissed but I couldn't let myself do it." Hank said as he took a long sip from his beer bottle. He was finding the facts easier to deal with now that he was about half-way drunk. Amanda just looked at Hank for a long time. It had been fifteen years without seeing him. Fifteen years without the love of her life and here he was. Standing right in front of her. His brown eyes were staring right back at her intensely. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him that very second. Yet, she was almost certain that he'd push her away. So she held that action inside her then she glanced down at her left hand.

A small silver diamond ring was placed on her ring finger. The same place it had been for the last eighteen years. Like Hank couldn't bring himself to take down the wallpaper he had hated so much, she couldn't bring herself to take off that ring. As Amanda moved her head up slowly to Hank's hands. In his right hand, he held the nearly empty beer bottle. His left was bare except for a small silver wedding band that rested safely on his ring finger, undisturbed. Amanda smiled brightly at the sight of it. She couldn't believe any of this.

"How's Wolfgang?" Amanda questioned as she walked back up to him and set her bags back down on the floor.

"Trouble." Hank answered as he ran his left hand through his messy, unkept hair.

"Well, if he's anything like you were at his age. I'm sure he'll be fine. Especially if he finds a nice girl who would do anything for him." Amanda smiled brightly enough to make Hank smirk in return. Memories of their high school love ran through each other's mind quickly. All in flashes. All the laughs, cries, and yelling just hit them. Just then Amanda couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I still love you, Hank and if you don't love me back. That's fine. I'll leave and never come back. If that's what you really want from me, I'll do it. No matter how much it hurts me. But I need to know. Do you still love me?"

Before Hank could find it in himself to reply to her, a memory came to his mind.

_**. . . Flashback . . . **_

_An eighteen year old girl with blonde hair and green eyes smiled at her friend named Hank. He was a bit of a trouble maker. But she didn't mind. She needed some excitement in her life. He just glared back at her in a disgusted manner._

_"What are you looking at me like that for? I didn't do shit!" the eighteen year old Hank complained while finding her loving stare slightly uncomfortable._

_"Yes, you did and you know it too!" Amanda laughed while unbuckling her seatbelt. _

_"So I may have put a few teeny tiny tacks on Principal Mead's chair. Big deal." Hank yanked the key to the left and turned the ignition off. _

_"Yeah, well you're forgetting one simple detail. You're suspended for the next two days!" Amanda laughed at him. Hank's glare turned itself into a proud smirk. _

_"And what about it?" Hank questioned the girl he had known since the fifth grade. They had been best friends since they were assigned the same seat on the bus. The rest was fate. _

_"Now I'm alone in all my classes. Do you honestly think I'll be able to survive high school without you?!" Amanda was now upset. Hank noticed this and his smirk fell. _

_"No, I don't think you can. I know you can. I'm just a fuck-up. I get into trouble and if it weren't for you I'd probably be in jail by now. But in my understanding you'd be better off without me anyway." Hank told her, using a very serious voice. He then turned away from her so he couldn't see her reaction. Amanda couldn't believe what he had just said! _

_"You don't get it. Do you, Hank?" Amanda asked him in the softest whisper. She felt it coming up. She was finally going to tell him about the crush she's had on him for years. The one that didn't go away. _

_"Get what?" Hank turned back to face her. She looked down at her thighs. _

_"I've had a crush on you for five years." Amanda told him very quickly. Hoping that if she said it fast, then maybe she wouldn't be as humiliated for the rejection that was soon to follow._

_But instead of humiliation, there was silence. Silence that made Amanda nervous. So, she looked up to find Hank staring at her. Then he smiled as if all the happiness inside of him finally burst outside to the surface. Before Amanda could ask what was wrong with him, Hank pulled her into a kiss. Unlike she expected, Hank's lips were soft and tender to the touch. As totally unexpected as the kiss was, Amanda couldn't have asked for anything better._

_After all it was her first kiss. Who better to share it with than Hank? Her best friend. It was absolutely perfect. Amanda giggled openly as they separated. There was no point in trying to keep her emotions to herself at this point. _

_"Well then, I suppose it's time for a new adventure. Right?" Hank whispered as he put his hand gently on Amanda's ear. Amanda drew a deep breath in. It was all so unbelievable. Yet, she didn't want to ruin it. So she just smiled at Hank and nodded her head in agreement. Hank then kissed her once more on the cheek and he pulled away._

_**. . . End Flashback . . . **_

"I never stopped loving you, Amanda. I just stopped hoping that you'd come back for us. You needed time away. I could respect that. But after five years I kinda just wanted to forget everything. So I started drinking again. Like I am now." Hank replied softly, trying to avoid as much hurt feelings as he possibly could. Even though it was inevitable. Amanda sighed, remembering his drinking habits. They weren't necessarily bad. But they sure as hell weren't good either. He'd wake up some mornings and not remember anything from the night before. That's how they ended up as parents during their senior year. One stupid drunken night.

"Do you always have to drink to avoid problems?" Amanda asked with a voice filled with concern.

"How else do you honestly expect me to handle this sober? Tell me, Amanda. Because I'd really like to know of a way that I could just forget everything we ever did together! Every single time that I look at Wolfgang, I see you. He has your eyes, he has your hair, and your fucking skin pigment! It's not like I can just deal with that on a daily basis and try to forget about you all at the same time! But to answer your question yes, I have to drink." Hank yelled just before taking one last swig of his beer bottle. Amanda stood there in front of him. She was too shocked to speak. This was what she was afraid of upon coming back. Yet, she couldn't just leave now.

"I'm sorry, Hank. I'm sorry that I disappointed you." Amanda apologized in a frightened tone. Hank sighed then moved to the counter and put the now empty bottle on it. He then walked back over to the young girl.

"I'm not disappointed in you. Okay? Just myself. All this time I've blamed you for leaving, when I should've gone with you." Hank said quietly as he stood in front of her. Amanda's lips lifted from side to side and formed a beautiful smile. The same one Hank had missed so much. Just then Hank leaned closer to her and didn't stop until his lips hit Amanda's forehead. His touch was enough for her to go insane all over again. More memories hit them. But this time it brought back a specific incident to Amanda.

_**. . . Flashback . . . **_

_It was Christmas eve. Amanda and Hank were still eighteen. Yet, they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. They've been official for ten months. Amanda happened to be reading a magazine by her family's Christmas tree. _

_It had been a long week and she just wanted to spend her Christmas with the love of her life. Hank. Yet, her mother insisted on having Amanda staying at home doing chores all day. Just to spite her daughter's relationship with the 'delinquent boy'. Just moments before she was about to fall asleep on the couch by the fire a knock came from the living room window. Amanda's eyes blinked open. Almost instantly she saw Hank. _

_Amanda then threw her magazine to the floor. She jumped up from the couch, ran over to the window and opened it. _

_"Hey babe, a little help here?" Hank greeted as he pecked her on the lips._

_"Sure." Amanda smiled then grabbed ahold of his arms and pulled him inside her home. Once Hank was in, Amanda shut the window and lead him over to the couch. Hank sat down and pulled Amanda onto his lap. _

_"Where are your parents?" Hank whispered in her ear as he pulled back her hair. Amanda couldn't help but blush. He made her so nervous. _

_"Out grocery shopping for tomorrow's dinner. Why?" Amanda smiled as she turned around to face him. Hank had a smirk on his face, then dug his hand in his pocket in search for something._

_"I wanted to give you your Christmas present early this year. Since your parents banned me from coming to any family events until I apologize to your cousin for punching him in the face for calling me trash." Hank said as he pulled out a small red box wrapped up perfectly in a white ribbon. Amanda's eyes wen wide in surprise. She hadn't thought that he was going to give her a gift this year. They hadn't any other year. _

_"You don't have to, Hank. Really, but if you insist." Amanda smiled widely as she took the box out of his hands and peeled off the ribbon. She opened the red box and found a small silver wedding band inside it. Amanda's jaw fell immediately, she looked up at Hank in total surprise. He definitely wasn't the marital type. Well not the type her family approved of anyway._

_"I love you, Amanda. No matter what your parents do to try to keep me away. It won't work. Because I can't live without you in my life and I don't want to. Ever. Will you marry me?" Hank asked slowly, by the time he actually asked the question Amanda was crying from an outburst of happiness. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. _

_"Yeah. I will, Hank." Amanda answered through more tears, then she hugged him tightly while pressing her wet tear stained face to his sweater. Hank hugged her back and kissed her forehead, then he took the ring out of the box and placed it carefully on Amanda's left hand ring finger. Amanda smiled happily. Hank then kissed her on her lips. It seemed as though they were perfect together. Like nothing could go wrong._

_**. . . End Flashback. . . **_

As they pulled apart Amanda couldn't refrain herself from leaning in to kiss him on his lips. Which Hank didn't fully detest. In fact, he found it interesting that her lips were the same as what he remembered. Soft and sweet to the very touch. After all this time she had missed kissing him the most of all. It was a feeling she'd never forget. No matter how long she was away.


	13. Ch 13: A love that is forever cherished

_**A/n: So, this isn't much. But it's finally perfect anyway! 3**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold. I own Hank and Amanda. **_

_**P.S. yeah, so um review. . .**_

Wolfgang opened the door with a yawn. It was about eight in the morning and he was coming home from Gloria's after staying the night with her. He found that he slept better knowing she was safe in his arms. No matter how hard she tried to assure her safety otherwise. Wolfgang just wouldn't take no for an answer. Despite what other teenagers did whenever they got the chance, the two didn't have sex. But instead they just slept together. It was nice and comfortable.

As Wolfgang stepped into his hallway the smell of eggs and sausage hit his nostrils instantly. It was odd. So, he paused before taking another step. Maybe it was from the house next door? Wolfgang took a few more steps towards the kitchen, then heard laughter. Laughter from a woman.

Wolfgang then entered the kitchen and froze when he saw long blonde, perfectly curled hair. It was a girl. Standing next to the girl was his father, Hank. But Hank didn't seem pissed like he normally did. Even on the rare occasion he brought a date home, he was pissed. No, he was actually smiling this time. That's when Hank noticed his son enter.

"Wolfgang, come here. There's someone I want you to meet." Hank said as Wolfgang cautiously moved forward to his father.

"Who's this?" Wolfgang asked with a nod to the girl who turned the burner to the stove off. She then spun around and faced Wolfgang with a wide, happy smile. Her beauty caught him off guard. Most of the girls his father brought home weren't so. . . lovely. Into drugs or alcohol. This woman was Wolfgang's definition of gorgeous. Her eyes were a dark emerald green, that resembled Wolfgang's eyes. Her skin was pale and she was rather short for a woman who seemed to be in her mid thirties.

"Wolfgang, this is Amanda." Hank told him. Amanda held her hand out in front of the eighteen year old.

"Why hello, Wolfgang." Amanda said while smiling. Wolfgang shook her hand with a blank face.

"Hi. So is she your girlfriend or something?" Wolfgang asked his father while Amanda gathered some plates.

"Actually Wolfgang. . . she's a little more than that. Amanda is your mother." Hank said slowly. Wolfgang's eyes went wide in shock. He looked back at her and just stared for awhile as she filled three plates with scrambled eggs and sausage.

"I was wondering what foods you liked. After fifteen years, my memory has kinda slipped. But I remember feeding you scrambled eggs before I left and I remembered that you loved them. So I thought. Why not?" Amanda grinned as she handed a plate to Hank, who was watching Wolfgang for his reaction. But instead of being angry, like he's always been. Wolfgang seemed happy. He even smiled at Amanda as she handed him his plate.

"Uh thanks, mom." Wolfgang nodded his head as he took the plate out of her hand. These three simple words made Amanda smile as unbelievable happiness exploded inside her. She hadn't expected Wolfgang to ever come to terms with this whole mess. She certainly didn't think he'd be so excepting as to call her mom. She knew she didn't deserve it, but she was thankful anyway.

"Well, are we going to eat or what?" Hank asked with a laugh that Wolfgang hadn't heard in awhile.

"Of course we are! I just can't believe my baby boy's gotten so big and so handsome too!" Amanda grinned then she leaned in and kissed Wolfgang's cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick stain on him. Which would normally annoy the hell out of him. But since this was his actual biological mother, he didn't mind it so much. Amanda noticed the stain, licked her thumb and wiped it off like she did when he was a baby.

"There! All gone, let's eat!" Amanda squealed happily as she put her hand on Wolfgang's arm and gently pulled him to the table with her. Wolfgang could only follow her as this mesmerizing woman appeared in front of him. Once the three were all seated with Amanda in between the boys, they began to eat their meal.

Though he seemed to be eating, Wolfgang could tell that his father was watching Amanda's every movement. It was the same thing Wolfgang did with Gloria whenever they ate together. Amanda didn't look like she minded even the slightest bit, she just laughed and continued to eat.

"So. . . Where have you been?" Wolfgang broke the silence. It was only fair that he knew where his absent mother had been for the past fifteen years. Amanda's emerald eyes lit up at his question. As if she's been waiting to tell him about all of her many adventures.

"All over the place, really. First I went to New York. Then I thought, why stay there when I could just travel the world? So I did. It was a spur of the moment thought really. A selfish, stupid thought. But once I get hooked on an idea I just can't let go of it. So, I left for New York. After a few months there I flew to Hawaii. Then Africa, Guatemala, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Tokyo, China, Switzerland, and many other smaller countries. Most of the time I just walked the streets and enjoyed the cultural aspect of it. You really get to know a country by their people. So I got to know a lot of people from all over the world too." Amanda said while switching from looking at Wolfgang to Hank. Hank was relatively quiet as he listened to his wife's voice. The concept of this was hard to take in completely. Amanda was back. With him. It was hard to accept without thinking he had finally lost his mind.

"Really?" Wolfgang rose an eyebrow. He couldn't imagine the thought of being friendly with someone. Let alone someone who didn't speak the same language as him. It was hard to think about.

"Very much so. As I traveled around everywhere I saw, everyone I met belonged to someone. Wether it was a boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, aunt/uncle, parent, brother, husband/wife, or whatever. Each person belonged to a family member. Family is very important in every single country that I traveled to. Finally, I just decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I guess I just want to stay put for awhile. I want to know that I have a home. Not just an empty park bench that I find in the middle of New York city. I can't thank you both enough for letting me back in when I've been so horrible to you." at the end of her apology, Amanda had tears streaming down her cheek. This is when Hank looked up at her with interest. As much as he'd been hurting over the past fifteen years, he couldn't stand to see his wife cry. Not before she left and not now.

"Quit blaming yourself, Amanda." Hank spoke up in a voice that said he demanded it. Wolfgang was actually shocked by his sudden perseverance. Normally it took Hank a lot of motivation to speak up on anybody's account.

"But I should blame myself. It's my fault." she then put her fork down on the table and let more tears cover her face. Wolfgang didn't like this scene. It reminded him too much of Gloria when she cried like that. It wasn't pretty and made him want to punch something out of aggravation.

"No it's not. So stop it! Look mom, your back. That's great. Okay? That's all we care about now. So just stop thinking about the past so damned much! It's over." Wolfgang interrupted her. Amanda looked at her son, then she smiled softly as the last of her tears fell onto her outstretched cheeks. Amanda then turned to look at Hank. He shrugged his shoulders.

"He always speaks his mind. It's inevitable because he's your son." Hank whispered while Wolfgang pretended to not hear him. Wolfgang then took a large bite from his scrambled eggs and looked at his mother and father.

. . .

The rest of the day went by quickly. Amanda spent her time telling the boys about her adventures and the people she met along the way. Wolfgang and Hank listened with their ears perked up. The two people who didn't listen to anyone or anything on a daily basis, focused all of their attention on Amanda. She certainly didn't mind it though. After all, it had been such a long time since they spent a whole day together. It was nice.

It wasn't until later that night that Wolfgang checked his phone and realized that he forgot to tell Gloria about this new surprise. So, he called her and told her to come over to his house for awhile. Once she got there Wolfgang opened the door and let her in. She shut the door.

"What did you want me to see?" Gloria questioned as she entered.

"What? No hello?" Wolfgang rose an eyebrow, then he bent down and kissed her on the lips. Gloria smiled as his lips met hers.

"Hi." Gloria whispered as Wolfgang pulled away with a smirk on his lips.

"That's more like it. Now, you have to follow me." Wolfgang ordered as he took her hand in his and led her into the living room where she had been many times before. Gloria followed Wolfgang closely behind, while leaning against his side as they entered the separate room.

Instantly Gloria saw Hank sitting on the couch. Normally, he held a beer bottle in his hand, or a cigarette, or even the t.v. remote. But not this time. He was empty handed, but his arm was wrapped around a girl's shoulders. Wolfgang turned to look at Gloria who gave him a confused look, Wolfgang just smiled back at her. He really smiled. This smile was rare. Gloria had only seen it a number of times. Yet, she knew it meant this was a special moment for him. Even if he wouldn't say why just yet.

As Gloria came into Amanda's view, Amanda smiled at her. Gloria paused for a second. Her smile was too similar to Wolfgang's. They both had a single dimple on their left cheek. Gloria turned to look at Wolfgang as she continued to point out more similarities between the two.

"Figured it out yet?" Wolfgang asked Gloria. She shook her head.

"Well, dear. If you're wondering why we look similar it's because I'm his mother." Amanda told Gloria. Gloria's eyes went wide in shock.

"His mother?" Gloria then turned back to Wolfgang who nodded his head.

"Yep, Gloria this is my mom Amanda. Amanda, this is my girlfriend Gloria." Wolfgang introduced the two with a big smile on his face. Gloria noticed how gorgeous Amanda was. She could have been a 1950's actress with her perfectly curled long blonde hair and emerald green eyes.

"Well, I'm certainly glad that after all these years Wolfgang didn't end up alone. And I'm happy he found someone as beautiful as you, Gloria." Amanda held her hand out, Gloria hesitated but shook it.

"Um, thanks ma'am." Gloria replied as a blush crept onto her cheeks. After that Gloria walked up to Wolfgang's side and held his hand. Wolfgang rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's known shyness. But he couldn't help find her even cuter than he did just five seconds ago. If that was even possible.

"No need to call me ma'am. I'm not that old, really. I'm only thirty-six. Please, call me Amanda." Amanda told Gloria with a small laugh.

"Okay, Amanda." Gloria squeaked while hiding behind Wolfgang's shoulder blades. Which he didn't mind. In fact, it was normal behavior for her to be frightened around people she didn't know. Oddly enough though, she wasn't like this at all when meeting Wolfgang for the first time. He was her one and only exception to the rule of her shyness.

"Will you be alright, Gloria?" Hank questioned his son's girlfriend of three months with concern.

"Yeah. I'm just. . . Shy. I'll be fine after awhile." Gloria said then she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on the back of Wolfgang's neck. Wolfgang laughed at the girl and Amanda smiled at her son.

"Boy I know how that felt when I was your age." Amanda laughed angelically. Hearing this sentence made Gloria pop her head over Wolfgang's shoulders.

"You were shy?" Gloria questioned her with an eyebrow rose.

"Oh yes. Wasn't I, Hank?" Amanda turned to look at her husband. Hank nodded his head quickly.

"As shy as you, Gloria. Believe it or not." Hank laughed at the memory.

"In fact I was voted Most Likely To Become Mute in my sophomore yearbook." Amanda giggled with delight at the thought. Even Hank laughed at it too. Wolfgang turned his head slightly to meet Gloria's gaze and they gave each other confused looks.

"What's so great about that?" Wolfgang asked while he walked over to the recliner and sat down, Gloria sat down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her stomach.

"Well, after knowing that I became a mute. Just to do it. As a test. To see how people would honestly react to me being a mute. I only spoke to my parents when I was home. So, I didn't have any friends. No real interaction with people outside really brings you down. But after the first two months of my silence, Hank walked up to me and asked me why I didn't speak. Which I found it odd because he was pretty popular and well I was a nobody." Gloria told them then looked to Hank.

"I was not all that popular. I only played football." Hank replied to her, Amanda glared at him.

"You had a new girlfriend every three days." Amanda pointed a finger at him.

"Okay so I was popular, big deal." Hank snorted then looked at the two teenagers. Gloria started laughing at the adults and their petty argument.

"Like I was saying. He was popular and I wasn't. Anyway at first I didn't reply to him. So, he followed me for awhile and asked a second time. To make sure I heard him. But I didn't reply again. Then out of nowhere he pushes me up against a locker and kisses me in front of everybody. The loser then asked me why I didn't talk again for a third time. So, I finally replied 'because nobody wants me to.' As to which he responded. . ." Amanda pointed to Hank, who sighed in his own embarrassment.

"I told her that I did." Hank muttered loosely under his breath. Amanda smiled brightly towards him then giggled openly. All the while Gloria was snuggling up against Wolfgang's chest and playing with his hands as the two teens listened to a love story not written in a book. Wolfgang snuck a kiss between Gloria's ear and her right shoulder, this made Gloria smile and wiggle around some.

"After that Hank followed me everywhere. He talked to me every single day. Just to make sure I wouldn't go crazy from not having anyone to talk to." Amanda said as she leaned in and gave him a simple kiss on the cheek.

"And the rest. . . was history." Hank added with a blush on his cheeks.


	14. Ch 14: After midnight

_**A/n: I needed to end this somewhere before I got too off topic. So, this is the end. Enjoy!(: **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or else it would be shown on every single single TV channel known to man.**_

Life it seemed was falling perfectly into place. Wolfgang couldn't ask for anything better. He had his mother, his father, his friends, and Gloria. Sure he'd still raise hell every now and then. But not without his friends or without Gloria. See, all that mattered to him now was that he was surrounded by people that truly cared about him.

The thing that made all of this worth it, was that Gloria was by his side. As long as Gloria was on his side life would be okay. Maybe not perfect but not horrible either. Even after all that had happened to him since he was born, Wolfgang knew he'd be okay.

Falling in love was something special. Not everybody gets a chance at experiencing it first hand. It's a beautiful thing, love. A beautiful thing that can either save your life or end it. Wolfgang wasn't entirely sure which one Gloria would end him with. But he was happy to be a part of it.

***Insert ending credits song, After Midnight by Blink 182***

_I can't get my feet up off the edge_

_I kind of like the little rush you get_

_When you're standing close to death_

_Like when you're driving me crazy_

_Hold on as we crash into the earth_

_A bit of pain will help you suffer when you're hurt, for real_

_'Cause you were driving me crazy_

_Bite your lips, your words a robbery_

_Do you grin inside? You're killing me_

_All along we talked of forever_

_I kind of think that we won't get better_

_It's the longest start, but the end's not too far away_

_Did you know I'm here to stay?_

_We'll stagger home after midnight_

_Sleep arm-in-arm in the stairwell_

_We'll fall apart on the weekend_

_These nights go on and on and on_

_I can't keep your voice out of my head_

_All I hear are the many echoes of_

_The darkest words you said_

_And it's driving me crazy_

_I can't find the best in all of this_

_But I'm always looking out for you_

_'Cause you're the one I miss_

_And it's driving me crazy_

_Bite your lips, your words a robbery_

_Do you grin inside? You're killing me_

_All along we talked of forever_

_I kind of think that we won't get better_

_It's the longest start, but the end's not too far away_

_Did you know I'm here to stay?_

_We'll stagger home after midnight_

_Sleep arm-in-arm in the stairwell_

_We'll fall apart on the weekend_

_These nights go on and on and on_

_[x4]_


End file.
